&> 


•-»* 


.-of 


Ui  ^^ 


%.- 


•f 


/ 


MEMOIR 


OF 


MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH 


BY    AN    OLD    PUPIL. 


WITH   A 


SKETCH  OF  HER  WORK  FOR  HAMPTON. 


BY    HELEN   W.  LUDLOW. 


- 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.    B.   LIPPINCOTT    COMPANY. 
1886. 


Copyright,  1885,  by  SUSAN  LONGSTRETH. 


TO 

OUR   DEAR   FRIEND   AND   TEACHER, 

SUSAN   LONGSTRETH, 

THIS  LITTLE  MEMOIR  OF  HER  LIFE-LONG  COMPANION 
IS   DEDICATED. 


F»  R  E  K  A  C  K. 


WHEN,  in  the  middle  of  August,  1884,  the  tidings 
of  Miss  Mary  Anna  Longstreth's  death  reached  the 
wide  circle  of  her  pupil-friends,  there  probably  were 
few  among  them  who  did  not  feel  that  with  her  life 
an  important  chapter  in  their  own  was  closed. 
"  How  much  we  and  our  children  owe  to  her  influ- 
ence !  Our  whole  lives  have  been  moulded  by  her 
teaching"  was  the  burden  of  letter  after  letter  to  the 
devoted  sister  who  survives  her. 

And  far  beyond  the  inner  social  and  family  circle, 
where  she  was  so  warm  a  centre  of  affection,  her 
death  was  felt  as  a  deep  and  personal  loss.  The 
beneficent  activity  of  which  her  life  was  full  had  its 
uncounted  secret  channels,  often  little  suspected  by 
those  who  knew  her  best,  and  many  hearts  once 
saddened  by  struggle  and  defeat,  into  which  she 
had  poured  new  courage,  were  among  her  truest 
mourners. 

Several  of  the  more  public  tributes  to  her  memory 
were  reprinted,  and  in  leaflet-form  distributed  among 
her  friends,  but  there  were  repeated  inquiries  for 


6  PREFACE. 

some  fuller  account  of  a  life  so  rich  in  benefit  to 
others ;  and  it  was  to  meet  this  generally-expressed 
desire,  joined  to  an  especial  request  from  Miss  Susan 
Longstreth,  that  the  following  little  memoir  was 
attempted. 

The  extracts  from  the  journal  and  letters  of  the 
first  European  trip  may  seem  to  many  readers  too 
copious,  but  apart  from  the  difficulty  of  selection 
from  so  large  a  mass  of  manuscript  it  seemed  de- 
sirable to  give  in  some  fulness  a  page  of  Miss 
Mary  Anna's  experience  quite  unconnected  with 
her  ordinary  school-life.  The  aim  throughout  has 
been  to  let  her  character  speak  as  far  as  possible 
for  itself  without  the  intrusion  of  mere  eulogy. 

It  is  pleasant  to  acknowledge  gratefully  the  sym- 
pathetic interest  of  many  friends  in  the  preparation 
of  the  memoir,  and  especially  to  thank  those  whose 
contributions  enrich  the  narrative. 

MARGARET  NEWLIN. 

PHILADELPHIA,  November  ist,  1885. 


CONTKNTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

PAGE 

GIRLHOOD  AND  YOUTH 9 

CHAPTER    II. 
THE  YOUNG  TEACHERS 


CHAPTER    III. 
MAY-PARTIES,  ETC 39 

CHAPTER    IV. 
FIRST  TRIP  TO  EUROPE 48 

CHAPTER    V. 
THE  RHINE  AND  SWITZERLAND 77 

CHAPTER    VI. 
THE  SECOND  SCHOOL 139 

CHAPTER    VII. 
RETROSPECT 150 

CHAPTER    VIII. 
CLOSE  OF  SCHOOL- LIFE 157 

CHAPTER    IX. 
FAMILY  LIFE 164 

CHAPTER    X. 

PHILANTHROPIC  INTERESTS — SOCIAL  LIFE 


3  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XI. 

PAGE 

I.\M   YEARS 175 


HAMPTON 179 

APPENDIX 217 


EMOIR 

OF 

MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


CHAPTER   I. 

CHILDHOOD    AND   YOUTH. 

AMONG  the  gay  throng  at  many  a  Philadelphia 
wedding  or  bridal  reception  within  the  last  half-cen- 
tury, one  old  enough  to  look  back  on  so  long  a 
period  must  recall  a  guest  whose  appearance  was  in 
striking  contrast  to  all  around  her.  Yet  none  ever 
witnessed  the  holy  rite  with  more  reverent  sympathy, 
or  in  greeting  the  youthful  bride  was  received  with 
more  eager  affection.  One  glimpse  of  the  sweet 
childlike  face  under  the  plain  Friend's  bonnet  would 
tell  the  whole  story, — it  could  be  no  other  than  Miss 
Mary  Anna  Longstreth.  All  who  knew  her  de- 
lighted to  honor  her,  and  two  generations  rose  up 
to  bless  her  memory  when  she  passed  away.  What 

9 


I0       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRE  I'll. 

was  the  secret  of  her  success  ?     Perhaps  the  follow- 
ing little  Memoir  may  help  to  explain  it. 

Mary  Anna  Longstreth  sprang  from  a  vigorous 
race — men  and  women  of  sound  well-ordered  minds 
in  marvellously  sound  bodies.  Isaac*  and  Rachel 
Collins,  her  grandparents  on  the  maternal  side,  had 
seven  sons  and  as  many  daughters,  of  whom  all  but 
one  lived  to  an  advanced  age.  There  was  no  death 
among  this  band  of  brothers  and  sisters  for  sixty-five 
years,  and  the  average  age  of  twelve  of  them  was 
eighty.  They  were  all  carefully  educated,  their 
father  sparing  no  pains  or  expense  to  give  them  the 
best  advantages  the  time  and  country  afforded,  even 
changing  his  place  of  residence  twice  for  this  pur- 
pose. In  1778  he  removed  from  Burlington,  N.  J., 
to  Trenton,  where  he  united  with  some  of  the  most 
influential  citizens  in  founding  the  Trenton  Acade- 
my, which  nine  of  his  children  attended.  In  1796 
he  again  moved,  this  time  to  the  city  of  New  York, 
sending  several  of  his  younger  children  to  Nine 
Partners  Boarding-School  (in  the  same  State),  where 


*  Isaac  Collins  was  a  printer,  and  from  his  presses  was  issued  the 
first  quarto  Bible  that  was  ever  published  in  America.  His  daugh- 
ters were  trained  as  proof-readers,  and  to  the  keenness  of  eye  with 
which  they  learned  to  detect  the  slightest  typographical  mistake,  we 
may  perhaps  trace  the  extreme  accuracy  of  the  teachers  in  the  next 
generation. 


ANCESTR  Y.  1 1 

it  was  hoped  the  guarded  religious  influence  might 
carry  on  as  closely  as  possible  the  conscientious 
home-training. 

But  for  this,  boarding-school  life  at  its  best  must 
have  been  but  a  poor  substitute.  The  mother  of  this 
numerous  family  was  a  woman  of  few  words,  but  of 
rare  strength  and  loveliness  of  character,  inspiring 
an  enthusiastic  affection,  not  only  in  her  immediate 
household,  but  among  all  who  were  connected  with 
her.  Domestic  tradition  long  dwelt  fondly  on  her 
memory,  and  still  recalls  the  overwhelming  sense  of. 
loss  caused  by  her  death,  when  her  daughter  Mary, 
afterwards  the  mother  of  Mary  Anna  Longstreth, 
was  but  sixteen  years  of  age.  But  Mrs.  Collins  had 
lived  long  enough  to  leave  an  ineffaceable  impress  on 
the  characters  of  her  children,  thus  indirectly  mould- 
ing, we  cannot  doubt,  the  traits  and  destiny  of  grand- 
children, whose  influence  was  to  touch  a  far  wider 
sphere. 

Miss  Longstreth's  father  also  lost  in  early  boyhood 
an  excellent  mother,  whose  place,  however,  was  filled 
as  far  as  could  be  possible  by  his  elder  sister  Susan, 
a  woman  of  sterling  sense  and  most  affectionate  na- 
ture, who  cared  for  her  young  brothers  and  sister 
with  a  truly  maternal  solicitude,  and  was  their  best 
adviser  throughout  her  long  life.  It  was  this  faithful 
"  Aunt  Susan,"  whose  home  at  Greenway,  near  Phila- 


1 2        MEMOIR  OF  MAR  Y  ANNA  L  ONGSTRE  TH. 

delphia,  afterwards  became  the  favorite  resort  of  her 
young  nieces,  and  the  scene  of  the  happy  annual 
May  parties,  so  well  remembered  by  two  generations 
of  their  pupils. 

Isaac  T.  Longstreth  and  Mary  Collins  were  mar- 
ried at  Burlington,  N.  J.,  October  28,  1808,  and  were 
soon  settled  in  Church  Alley,  Philadelphia,  under 
the  shadow  of  the  now  venerable  and  historic  Christ 
Church.  The  city  at  that  time  extended  two  miles 
along  the  Delaware,  but  little  towards  the  west, 
Fifth  Street  being  considered  "  far  up-town."  So 
simple  were  the  habits  of  the  dwellers  in  Church 
Alley,  that  most  of  them  sent  the  Sunday's  dinner 
to  be  cooked  at  the  bake-house  of  a  good  friend 
and  neighbor,  while  they  went  to  their  respective 
places  of  worship.  Here,  surrounded  by  little  that 
might  be  called  luxury,  but  in  the  midst  of  every 
comfort,  was  born,  February  9,  1811,  Mary  Anna 
Longstreth,  an  infant  greatly  desired  and  joyfully 
welcomed,  and  certainly  not  the  less  gratifying  to 
her  parents,  that  her  beauty  and  unruffled  serenity 
of  temper  were  matters  of  general  comment  and  ad- 
miration. Her  health  was  perfect;  she  was  never 
heard  to  cry ;  and  the  fears  expressed  by  a  friend  of 
her  mother,  a  true  Job's  comforter  certainly,  that  this 
extraordinary  placidity  "  might  indicate  a  lack  of 
common  sense,"  seems  to  have  awakened  no  anxiety. 


KARL  Y  LESSONS.  13 

Two  and  a  half  years  later,  on  the  birth  of  her 
baby  sister  Susan,  the  little  girl  was  sent  to  school, — 
according  to  a  common  practice  at  that  time,  perhaps 
intended  to  secure  the  long  morning  nap  of  the  new- 
comer, undisturbed  by  the  frolic  play  of  older  chil- 
dren. But  there  was  no  forced  work  in  the  dames' 
schools  of  those  days.  The  recitation  of  a,  b,  ab, 
and  the  accomplishment  of  a  few  even  stitches  of 
overseam  or  hemming,  were  considered  quite  suffi- 
cient occupation  for  the  morning  session,  after  which 
a  trusty  little  maid  was  sent  to  bring  the  child  home 
to  receive  the  young  mother's  eager  welcome.  This, 
in  the  autumn  of  1813,  was  the  beginning  of  the 
school-life,  which  never  ceased  until  the  year  1877, 
when  it  was  most  reluctantly  closed. 

Actual  study,  however,  first  began  for  the  little 
Mary  Anna  at  the  school  of  the  Misses  M.  L.  and  S.  H. 
Cox,  to  whom  she  was  sent  in  1816.  Here  she  re- 
mained five  years,  showing  a  fondness  for  reading 
and  grammar,  but  finding  such  difficulty  in  writing 
that  her  teacliers  feared  she  never  would  succeed. 
That  this  apprehension  was  needless,  and  that  in  fact 
her  hands  were  dexterous  in  every  way,  is  proved  by 
a  letter  written  to  her  aunt  Anna  S.  Collins,  in  1818, 
in  which  she  informs  her  that  she  has  finished  the 
shirt  she  was  making  for  her  father,  and  has  received 
the  promised  dollar  as  reward.  Those  who  remem- 


I4        MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

ber  the  exquisite  penmanship  of  later  years,  at  once 
the  admiration  and  despair  of  her  young  pupils, 
will  smile  at  this  little  story  of  the  child  of  seven 
years. 

The  aunt  Anna  Collins,  to  whom  the  letter  just 
spoken  of  was  addressed,  had  come  on  the  death  of 
her  father  to  live  in  the  family  of  her  sister,  Mrs. 
Longstreth,  and  from  that  time  her  intense  interest, 
as  well  as  assistance,  in  the  education  and  develop- 
ment of  her  young  nieces  and  nephews,  was  a  con- 
stant stimulus  to  them.  When  Mary  Anna,  at  eight 
years  of  age,  began  the  study  of  the  Latin  language, 
Miss  Collins  did  the  same,  that  she  might  aid  the 
little  girl  in  her  lessons  and  better  understand  her 
difficulties. 

In  1819,  as  there  was  no  school  in  Philadelphia 
where  girls  could  be  taught  Latin  and  Greek,  a  master 
was  sought  to  give  private  Latin  lessons,  and  Dr.  J.  D. 
Price,  then  waiting  to  be  sent  as  a  missionary  to 
Burmah,  was  engaged  for  this  purpose.  The  interest 
Dr.  Price's  old  pupil  felt  in  his  work  after  he  sailed  for 
India  was  the  beginning  of  an  active  sympathy  in 
missions  which  only  warmed  and  deepened  through- 
out her  life.  The  first  five  hundred  dollars  that  could 
be  spared  from  her  earnings  after  the  needs  of  the 
family  were  supplied,  were  given  for  a  J.  D.  Price 
scholarship.  "  Honor  the  Lord  with  thy  substance, 


THE    CHILD    TEACHER.  15 

and  with  the  first  fruits  of  all  thine  increase,"  was 
a  law  of  her  life,  and  her  natural  warmth  and  gen- 
erosity of  character  delighted  to  fulfil  it  in  its  most 
literal  sense.* 

Dr.  Price  was  succeeded  by  other  masters,  one 
of  whom  taught  her  Greek  and  another  French,  until 
the  autumn  of  1824,  when  John  M.  Brewer  was 
invited  to  open  a  girls'  school  in  Philadelphia,  in 
which  Latin  and  Greek  were  to  be  added  to  the  usual 
course  of  study.  Mary  Anna  Longstreth  was  one  of 
Mr.  Brewer's  first  scholars,  and  soon  became  one  of 
his  best,  not  only  making  rapid  progress  herself,  but 
giving  lessons  in  Latin  to  her  little  sister  Susan,  at 
that  time  attending  another  school.  These  lessons 
were  to  be  learned  as  well  as  recited  after  school 
hours,  and  one  cannot  but  wish  that  both  the  chil- 
dren, not  only  the  little  pupil  of  eleven,  but  her 
teacher  of  thirteen,  could  have  been  enjoying  instead, 
a  wholesome  romp  in  the  open  air  in  these  brief 
intervals  of  school  routine.  There  was  no  play  about 
the  Latin  lessons,  however,  as  we  shall  presently  see. 
But  it  was  a  hard  struggle. 


*  Two  other  scholarships  were  afterwards  added  to  the  Burman 
mission,  named  after  Dr.  Wade  and  his  wife,  with  whom  Miss  Long- 
streth kept  up  a  constant  correspondence.  The  devotion  and  success 
of  these  valued  friends  were  a  source  of  great  happiness  to  her.  She 
was  also  interested  in  mission  schools  at  Calcutta  and  Mount  Lebanon. 


j6       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA   LONGSTRETH. 

"It's  of  no  use;  I  can't  learn  it!"  breaks  out  little 
Susan,  sitting  on  the  door-step  in  the  lovely  summer 
afternoon,  and  in  a  passion  of  impatience  she  flings 
the  book  from  her.  But  with  this  outburst  rebellion 
ends.  "  Silly  girl !"  she  cries,  almost  in  the  same 
breath  ;  "  it  must  be  done  !"  And  the  hated  book 
is  meekly  picked  up  again,  the  lesson  learned,  and 
self-discipline  begun. 

Before  the  child  was  twelve  years  old  she  had  not 
only  read  every  word  of  Virgil, — Bucolics,  Georgics, 
and  ^Eneid, — but  so  thoroughly,  that  when  the  in- 
credulous Mr.  Brewer  afterwards  examined  her  on  her 
entrance  into  his  school,  in  1824,  she  could  analyze 
and  parse  the  most  difficult  passages  he  selected  for 
her.  After  this  proof  of  the  young  Mary  Anna's 
abilities  as  a  teacher,  we  are  not  surprised  to  find 
Mr.  Brewer  speedily  engaging  her  as  an  assistant, 
a  position  in  which,  while  still  pursuing  her  own 
studies,  she  soon  became  most  valuable,  remaining  in 
it  for  three  years,  or  until  the  spring  of  1829,  a  great 
favorite  both  with  master  and  pupils.  The  first  pay- 
ment for  these  services  to  Mr.  Brewer  was  a  great 
delight  to  her.  There  is  a  pleasant  little  story  of  her 
hastening  to  lay  the  well-earned  store  in  her  mother's 
lap,  joyfully  exclaiming,  "  There !  now  we  are  inde- 
pendent. " 

These  years    of  early  girlhood,  though  as   busy 


GIRLHOOD.  lj 

perhaps  as  any  period  of  her  whole  life,  were  full  of 
quiet  happiness.  The  close  occupation  seemed  no 
strain  upon  her  health  or  spirits.  Her  mind  was 
daily  expanding;  her  note-books  constantly  record 
new  studies  undertaken  for  self-improvement  out  of 
school  hours,  while  the  little  diary,  meant  for  no 
eyes  but  her  own,  bears  witness  to  the  deepening 
earnestness  with  which  she  looked  upon  her  voca- 
tion as  a  teacher.  Its  outpourings  are  too  intimate 
and  sacred  for  indiscriminate  quotation,  but  a  few 
passages  will  show  what  fervor  of  effort  and  aspira- 
tion, and  what  humility  of  spirit,  lay  beneath  the 
almost  childlike  buoyancy  of  manner,  which  be- 
longed to  her  until  the  verge  of  old  age. 

"  2d  mo.  9//z,  1828. — This  morning  I  have  com- 
pleted my  seventeenth  year,  and,  looking  back  on 
my  past  life,  very  grateful  do  I  feel  to  a  merciful 
heavenly  Father  for  the  care  He  has  taken  of  me 
and  the  hedges  He  has  placed  around  me,  .  .  .  and 
sincerely  do  I  desire  that,  as  long  as  I  live,  I  may  do 
His  will  and  not  mine  own." 

A  few  days  later  she  alludes  with  great  pleasure 
to  a  little  fete  given  her  by  a  party  of  her  young 
companions.  Together  with  her  sister  Susan  they 
had  made  up  a  French  class  of  twelve  members,  and 
on  this  occasion  it  was  agreed  that  each  one  should 


,8        MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

contribute  a  dish  to  a  pretty  table  spread  in  Mary 
Anna's  honor.  All  the  lively  girlish  talk  was  in 
French,  in  which,  by  constant  practice,  they  had 
become  very  expert. 

"  2,d  mo.  2\st,  1828. — Received  from  my  kind 
friend  and  preceptor,  J.  M.  Brewer,  the  sum  of  $220 
for  my  services  at  school  during  the  last  six  months. 
I  thank  Thee,  my  heavenly  Father,  for  this  blessing, 
and  rejoice  that  I  am  able  to  contribute  to  my  beloved 
mother's  comforts.  I  thank  Thee  for  the  excellent 
means  Thou  hast  given  me  for  obtaining  a  good  edu- 
cation,— it  is  better  than  houses  or  lands, — and  I  feel 
very  grateful  for  the  agreeable  situation  in  which  I 
am  placed  at  school,  free  from  every  care,  anxiety,  or 
responsibility.  Enable  me,  I  pray  Thee,  to  bring  for- 
ward those  committed  to  my  care  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  my  kind  preceptor.  Render  me  of  essential 
service  to  him  and  his  pupils. 

"  gth  mo.  \st. — Truly,  goodness  and  mercy  have 
followed  me  all  the  days  of  my  life.  I  think  I  have 
never  passed  a  vacation  more  happily, — the  first 
four  weeks  at  Burlington  and  the  last  three  at  dear 
Greenway.  And  now,  with  renewed  health,  strength, 
and  vigor,  I  have  returned  to  my  duties  at  school. 
Oh  that  I  may,  by  continual  patience  and  applica- 
tion, promote  the  improvement  of  my  dear  pupils, 
lighten  the  cares  of  my  preceptor,  and  faithfully  dis- 
charge my  duty  as  assistant !  .  .  . 

"  gth  mo.  \6th. — Received  from  my  kind  preceptor 
5290  for  my  services  for  the  last  six  months.  ...  I  feel 


YOUTHFUL   DIARY.  ig 

very  much  animated  to  pursue  my  pleasant  labors  at 
school.  .  .  . 

"  loth  mo. — So  far  our  family  is  blessed  with  usual 
health,  and  myself  with  uncommon  strength  and 
vigor,  although  we  hear  that  sickness  prevails  all 
around  us.  ...  For  a  week  or  two  past,  in  endeavor- 
ing to  fulfil  my  duties  (though  conscious  of  entire 
incapability  by  myself  without  divine  aid  and  sup- 
port), ...  I  have  been  blessed  with  great  peace,  and 
comfort,  and  tranquillity  of  soul.  For  this  inestimable 
mercy  I  desire  to  render  praise  and  thanksgiving  to 
the  Author  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift ;  and  when 
in  His  wisdom  He  sees  fit  to  withhold  the  smiles  of 
His  love  and  the  joy  of  His  presence,  and  visits  me 
with  clouds  and  afflictions,  may  I  remember  this 
season  of  favor  and  consolation,  and  wait  with  pa- 
tience till  He  in  His  infinite  mercy  is  pleased  to  arise 
again  '  with  healing  in  His  wings.'  " 

In  an  entry  dated  2d  mo.  9th,  1829,  her  eighteenth 
birthday,  an  especial  sense  of  the  responsibility  of 
life  seems  to  rest  upon  her.  Her  young  heart,  like 
that  of  the  child  Samuel  in  the  temple,  was  ever 
answering  to  its  inward  calls,  "  Speak,  Lord,  for  Thy 
servant  heareth ;"  and  now,  not  as  a  reluctant  sacri- 
fice, but  as  a  joyful  true-love  offering,  she  dedicates 
herself  afresh,  and  with  a  depth  and  earnestness  of 
purpose  that  thenceforth  knew  no  change  : 

"  Eternal  and  ever-blessed  God  !  .     .  It  is  with  the 


20       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

utmost  solemnity  that  I  make  this  surrender  of  my- 
self to  Thee.  The  whole  frame  of  my  nature,  all  the 
faculties  of  my  mind,  and  all  the  members  of  my 
body  would  I  present  before  Thee  this  day  as  a  living 
sacrifice,  holy  and  acceptable  unto  God,  which  I 
know  to  be  my  '  most  reasonable  service.'  To  Thee 
I  consecrate  all  that  I  am  and  all  that  I  have, — my 
worldly  possessions,  my  time,  my  talents,  my  influ- 
ence over  others, — to  be  devoted  to  Thy  glory  as  long 
as  Thou  continuest  me  in  this  life;  with  an  ardent  de- 
sire to  continue  Thine  through  eternity  ;  ever  holding 
myself  in  readiness  to  execute  what  I  believe  to  be 
Thy  divine  will. 

********* 
(Signed)          "  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH." 

Below,  we  read,  "Again  subscribed  to  Qth  mo.  1st, 
1829.     Thankfully,  2d  mo.  Qth,  1830." 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE   YOUNG    TEACHERS. 

EARLY  in  the  spring  of  1829  it  was  decided  that 
the  sisters  should  begin  teaching  on  their  own  ac- 
count, and  accordingly  the  two  young  girls,  Mary 
Anna,  eighteen,  and  Susan,  sixteen,  made  arrange- 
ments to  open  a  school  under  the  protection  of  their 
mother's  roof  in  the  following  September.  They 
must  have  been  very  modest  as  to  the  proficiency  of 
which  they  had  already  given  such  substantial  proofs, 
for  one  of  their  nearest  relatives  seems  to  have  been 
half  amazed,  half  amused,  at  the  temerity  of  the  en- 
terprise. Susan,  especially,  who  then  looked  even 
younger  than  she  really  was,  they  evidently  consid- 
ered a  mere  child,  quite  unaware,  probably,  of  the 
volumes  of  classic  lore  she  had  stored  up  in  her  lit- 
tle head  when  not  yet  twelve  years  old.  And  the 
young  teachers  themselves  were  not  without  their 
own  serious  misgivings.  Mary  Anna,  as  we  have 
seen  already,  had  had  no  care  or  responsibility  while 
teaching  under  Mr.  Brewer,  except  in  the  daily  rou- 
tine of  duty,  which  familiarity  had  made  easy,  and 


22        MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA   LONGSTRE'l'H. 

which  was  still  further  brightened  to  her  by  her  de- 
light in  her  young  pupils.  Her  popularity  among 
them  was  so  great  that  Mr.  Brewer,  probably  fearing 
they  might  follow  her  en  masse  if  she  opened  a  school 
of  her  own,  required  of  her  the  rather  surprising 
promise  that  not  one  of  them,  in  such  a  case,  should 
be  received. 

But  the  summer  was  still  before  the  sisters,  in 
which  they  hoped  to  rest  and  gather  up  both  courage 
and  energy  for  their  new  undertaking.  Accordingly, 
in  the  month  of  May,  Mary  Anna  and  her  mother 
went  out  for  a  long  visit  to  the  hospitable  Aunt 
Susan  at  Greenway.  Here  a  new  anxiety  awaited 
them.  Mrs.  Longstreth,  who  had  been  very  frail 
all  the  spring,  was  now  taken  dangerously  ill.  Her 
younger  daughter  Susan,  and  the  devoted  aunt 
Anna  Collins,  were  at  once  sent  for,  and  for  weeks, 
while  the  precious  life  hung  in  the  balance,  little  else 
was  thought  of.  In  July,  however,  the  patient  ral- 
lied, and  a  little  later  Mary  Anna  writes  in  her  diary  : 

"  Sf/i  mo.  \st. — Dear  mother  evidently  gains  strength. 
Oh,  make  us  grateful,  Almighty  Father  ! .  .  .  Returned 
to  town  to  attend  to  business  connected  with  our  in- 
tended school.  Many  difficulties  appear  in  the  way. 
Only  two  pupils  are  engaged  ;  they  do  not  come  for- 
ward as  fast  as  we  expected.  A  good  deal  of  diffi- 
culty occurs  too  in  procuring  a  suitable  house."  .  .  . 


SUCCESS.  23 

The  prospect,  however,  soon  brightened,  and  a 
natural  rebound  of  youthful  gladness  followed  the 
long  strain  of  anxiety,  the  kind  Aunt  Susan  making 
as  usual  their  joys  as  well  as  their  sorrows  her  own. 
"  What  has  she  not  done,"  writes  Mary  Anna,  with 
affectionate  gratitude,  "that  could  give  us  pleasure? 
What  attention,  what  kindness  has  she  omitted? 
What  a  mother  has  she  been  to  our  dear  sick 
mother!  Oh,  bless  her!" 

"  8t/i  mo.  2C)th. — Bade  adieu  to  dear  Greenway,  not 
without  tears.  Lovely  abode  of  peace,  content,  and 
affection — a  delightful  home  hast  thou  been  to  me 
for  three  months.  May  every  blessing  be  showered 
on  thee,  sweet  Greenway !" 

Meanwhile  a  house  had  been  found  at  No.  3 
North  Eleventh  Street,  and  here  the  little  school  was 
opened. 

"  gt/i  mo.  \st,  1829. — Commenced  school  with  five 
scholars,  and  the  prospect  of  having  our  number 
made  up  as  soon  as  we  desire.  We  meet  with  kind 
friends  and  affectionate  encouragement  on  all  sides. 

"  9///  mo.  jth. — Our  school  succeeds  delightfully. 
Eight  pupils  attend,  and  several  more  are  in  pros- 
pect. No  trouble  or  embarrassment  or  difficulty. 

"  nth  mo.  \f)th. — Blessings  are  multiplied, — a  kind 
Providence,  kind  friends,  health,  and  content.  Four- 
teen pupils  engaged. 


24        MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

"  2ci  mo.  9/7/,  1830. — Time,  time,  with  rapid  wings 
thou  fliest !  Nineteen  years  old  to-day  !  Bless  the 
Lord,  O  my  soul,  for  nineteen  years  of  mercies  per- 
petual and  goodness  unlimited.  Again  do  I  sub- 
scribe humbly  and  thankfully  to  the  covenant  made 
this  day  last  year,  supplicating  for  increased  ability 
to  persevere  and  keep  it,  acknowledging  my  own 
helplessness,  but  adoring  the  power  of  Him  who  has 
helped  and  will  help  me.  .  .  . 

"Our  school  prospers,  —  fourteen  pupils.  Our 
health  good  ;  our  dear  mother  better.  How  much 
more  than  we  deserve  !  Oh,  make  us  more  holy  and 
pure,  more  humble  and  devout,  more  meek  and  gentle, 
more  patient  and  submissive,  more  constant  in  prayer 
and  fervent  in  spirit !  Oh,  continue  Thy  loving-kind- 
ness and  the  light  of  Thy  countenance,  for  in  Thee, 
my  Saviour,  do  I  put  my  trust." 

The  school  was  now  well  established.  The 
young  teachers  had  as  many  pupils  as  they  desired, 
twenty  being  at  this  time  their  limit.  In  those  early 
days  in  the  Eleventh  Street  house,  the  comfortably 
carpeted  school-room,  with  its  open  wood-fire,  and 
the  little  band  of  pupils  scarcely  younger  and  cer- 
tainly not  fairer  than  their  young  mistresses,  must 
have  made  an  attractive  picture.  There  was  many  a 
winter  day  nevertheless  when  the  benumbed  fingers 
farthest  from  the  hearth  found  it  hard  to  guide  the 
pen  with  the  finished  neatness  required,  and  Susan, 


FIRST  PUPILS.  25 

the  quill-pen  maker  and  mender,  whose  patient 
labors  were  never  ended,  no  doubt  would  gladly 
have  sacrificed  picturesqueness  to  a  somewhat  higher 
thermometer. 

The  only  assistant  needed  at  this  time  was  a 
native  French  master.*  Thoroughness  and  solidity 
were  always  aimed  at  rather  than  any  showiness  of 
attainment,  and  in  the  plainer  branches  especially, 
no  pains  were  spared  to  insure  a  firm  foundation. 
Finding  that  many  of  their  first  scholars,  though 
well  taught  in  other  respects,  were  very  defective  in 
the  matter  of  spelling,  the  sisters  tried  various  ex- 
pedients for  remedying  the  difficulty,  but  finally  de- 
cided that  the  whole  school  should  take  part  in  the 
exercise.  All  who  attended,  in  later  years  at  all 
events,  must  remember  the  systematic  way  of  teach- 
ing this  much  neglected  branch,  and  the  manner  in 
which  the  correction  of  misspelled  words  was  im- 
pressed upon  the  memory.  The  delinquent  was  apt 
to  think  only  of  her  own  irksome  task  in  copying 
out  the  long  corrected  lists;  the  amount  of  extra 
labor  on  the  teacher's  part  in  examining  the  great 
pile  of  "  error  books"  in  her  precious  hours  of  so- 
called  rest  was  rarely  taken  into  the  account. 


*  Mr.  Bolmar  was  first  employed,  but  Mr.  Gardel,  afterwards  so 
identified  with  the  school,  entered  on  his  long  term  of  service  in  1833, 
remaining  almost  continuously  until  its  close  in  1877. 

3 


26       MEMOIR  01-'  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

The  confidence  and  satisfaction  expressed  by  many 
of  the  parents  of  those  under  their  charge  was  a 
great  stimulus  and  encouragement  to  the  young 
teachers.  A  large  proportion  of  pupils  remained 
three,  four,  and  five  years,  and  the  close  acquaintance 
thus  formed  ripened  in  many  cases  into  a  loving  inti- 
macy, that  lent  a  glow  of  romance  to  the  pursuit  of 
knowledge,  lightening  its  dryest  taskwork.  The  dif- 
ference in  age  was  so  slight,  there  was  all  the  sym- 
pathy and  companionship  of  youth  between  teachers 
and  scholars.  They  were  but  climbing  together  the 
hill  of  knowledge,  and  there  was  mutual  delight  in 
following  its  pleasant  upward  paths,  and  gaining  ever 
wider  outlooks. 

This  little  group  of  early  alumni  could  never  be 
persuaded  by  the  most  enthusiastic  after-scholars 
that  theirs  was  not  the  "  golden  prime"  of  the  school. 
One  of  them  thus  writes  : 

"  Fresh  themselves  from  school,  they  knew  the 
difficulties  of  study,  and  their  sympathy  for  and 
patient  labor  with  a  discouraged  pupil  was  very 
helpful.  When  a  delinquent  in  lessons  or  conduct 
would  return  the  day  after  a  reproof  timid  or  dis- 
heartened, she  would  be  greeted  with,  '  This  day 
and  every  day  is  a  tabula  rasa;  nothing  of  yester- 
day remains  upon  it.'  They  had  a  gift  of  impart- 
ing enthusiasm  to  every  study.  I  had  just  finished 


FIRST  PUPILS.  27 

reading  Cowper's  '  Task'  at  another  school,  and 
hardly  knew  that  it  was  a  poem.  Here  we  had 
'  Paradise  Lost,'  which  we  both  read  and  parsed. 
The  history  of  the  author,  of  the  rjeriod,  the  my- 
thology, the  scriptural  allusions,  were  all  dwelt  upon, 
and  though  I  was  but  twelve  years  old,  I  learned 
its  greatness,  and  was  able  in  after-years  to  impart 
to  others  the  illumination  they  had  given  it.  But 
the  same  interest  was  maintained  in  all  our  work. 
The  household  throughout  was  full  of  loving  anxiety 
for  our  welfare,  the  dear  mother  often  bringing  some 
dainty  for  the  child  kept  after  school,  lest  the  '  dear 
little  one'  should  suffer. 

"  Dr.  Hare's  daughter  was  our  fellow-pupil,  and 
her  father's  brilliant  experiments  in  electricity  it  was 
our  privilege  to  attend.  Dr.  McMurtrie's  lectures  on  , 
zoology  also  added  spirit  to  the  study  in  the  class- 
room. I  had  come  broken  in  health  from  another 
school,  where  I  had  to  work  hard  in  the  old,  dry 
way,  and  this  seemed  a  '  royal  road  to  learning.' 

"  At  that  time  Fanny  Kemble  had  appeared  in 
this  country  to  electrify  the  public  with  her  elocu- 
tion and  dramatic  force,  and  the  parents  of  some  of 
the  children  felt  they  would  gain  in  attending  these 
representations.  Our  teachers  were  very  careful  to 
utter  no  word  of  censure  on  the  subject,  and  would 
listen  with  sympathy  to  an  ardent  pupil  as  she  por- 
trayed her  impressions  of  Portia,  and  then  quietly 
turn  the  attention  of  the  class  to  the  history  of 
Venice,  as  the  '  mistress  of  the  seas,'  and  give  the 
key  to  the  story  of  Shylock  and  Antonio.  It  was  a 


28        MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

gift  with  our  beloved  Mary  Anna  to  pass  from  her- 
self into  the  heart  of  the  scholar,  and  draw  her 
to  the  highest  within  herself.  In  after-years  my 
daughter  was  her  pupil,  and  though  the  school  had 
become  very  large,  the  same  spirit  was  ever  ap- 
parent, and  I  was  not  surprised  to  hear  my  child 
say, '  I  do  like  to  recite  a  lesson  to  Miss  Mary  Anna, 
she  so  appreciates  it.' 

"  She  has  sent  forth  generations  of  workers,  she 
has  exalted  the  dignity  of  labor,  and  shall  we  ever 
look  upon  her  like  again  ?  Three  happy  years  I 
passed  under  the  care  of  these  admirable  women, 
and  have  since  had  the  privilege  of  their  friendship 
and  continued  sympathy.  Mine  was  the  first  of  the 
many  marriages  of  their  pupils  that  they  attended, 
and  I  still  cherish  the  picture  of  the  humming-bird, 
the  orange  blossoms,  and  the  appropriate  verses  pre- 
sented at  that  time. 

"  L.  J.  H." 

Young  as  they  were,  both  the  sisters  fully  realized 
the  responsible  office  they  had  undertaken,  and  never 
rested  satisfied  with  their  own  mental  equipment. 
As  soon  as  the  hours  of  teaching  were  over,  those  of 
self-improvement  began,  with  the  briefest  interval  for 
rest.  They  took  lessons  in  drawing  and  perspective  ; 
they  attended  lectures  on  chemistry  and  natural 
philosophy;  they  read  indefatigably.  A  little  note- 
book, kept  by  Mary  Anna,  records  with  characteristic 
method  and  neatness  a  list  of  books  read  between 


SELF-IMPROVEMENT.  2g 

January,  1827,  and  December,  1830,  numbering  in 
all  sixty-four  volumes, — history,  travels,  biography, 
moral  philosophy,  with  here  and  there  such  grave 
diversion  as  Young's  "Night  Thoughts"  or  "Contri- 
butions of  Q.  Q."  There  is  an  early  note  of  "Trage- 
dies de  Racine,"  Tasso's  "Jerusalem  Delivered,"  trans- 
lated into  French,  and  one  vacation,  Mrs.  Sherwood's 
"  Lady  of  the  Manor."  The  earnest  resolution  re- 
corded in  her  youthful  journal,  to  indulge  as  little 
as  possible  in  the  love  of  merely  entertaining  reading 
so  natural  to  her  age,  had  been  faithfully  kept.  Yet 
she  loved  an  innocent  jest  as  much  as  any  one,  and 
her  habitual  brightness,  even  gayety  of  manner,  her 
quick  smile  and  genial  laughter,  and  above  all,  the 
rare  sweetness  of  a  face,  the  very  "  lineaments  of 
gospel  books,"  left  no  room  for  the  reproach  that  her 
religion  was  an  austere  one.  At  home  or  at  school 
the  testimony  was  the  same, — few  things  could  ruffle 
her.  For  the  comfort  and  encouragement  of  dys- 
peptic saints,  however,  whose  dearest  friends  find 
them  "  ill  to  live  with,"  whose  nerves  are  a  legion  of 
spiritual  foes,  it  ought  to  be  acknowledged  that  the 
sound  physique  had  much  to  do  with  this  habitual 
equanimity. 

"  One  result  of  my  sister's  fine  health,"  writes  Miss 
Susan  L.,  "  was  a  very  fine  temper,  remarkably  free 
from  irritability.  She  seemed  to  have  no  memory  for 

3* 


30       IfEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

slights  or  affronts ;  no  small  advantage  to  a  teacher, 
whose  many  trials  in  this  way  every  one  can  appre- 
ciate." Yet  without  doubt  the  calm  self-possession 
under  provocation,  and  the  quiet  serenity  with  which 
she  met  difficulties,  were  largely  due  to  the  ever- 
deepening  inner  life  whose  hidden  springs  we  have 
discovered.  "  Let  the  spirit  of  prayer  be  a  mantle 
around  me,"  we  read  in  her  diary  at  this  period. 
"  Let  my  soul  breathe  upwards  unto  Thee  in  every 
trial,  trouble,  and  vexation.  .  .  .  O  Lord,  my  heart  is 
froward,  but  indeed  my  eyes  are  not  lofty.  I  ac- 
knowledge with  humility  and  contrition  my  number- 
less transgressions.  How  much  I  have  need  of  more 
meekness  and  patience  in  bearing  the  trials,  the 
severe  trials,  to  which  I  am  subjected  by  the  tongue 
of  man  !  Oh,  imprint  on  my  mind  that  a  '  soft  answer 
turneth  away  wrath' !  Teach  me  to  curb  my  own 
unruly  little  member  and  bear  all  things  with  gentle- 
ness." 

In  July,  1832,  the  dreaded  scourge  of  the  East, 
the  Asiatic  cholera,  already  raging  at  Montreal  and 
Quebec,  and  daily  increasing  its  ravages  in  New 
York,  had  reached  Philadelphia. 

"Most  of  our  family,"  continues  the  diary,  "expect 
to  go  out  to  Greenway,  perhaps  never  to  return. 
Wherever  we  look  all  is  gloom,  save  in  one  spot,  and 


VACATIONS.  3I 

that  is  bright, — the  faithfulness  of  our  Redeemer.  .  .  . 
Thy  will  be  done,  O  Lord,  in  life  or  death,  only  for- 
sake us  not. 

"  gth  ino.,  1832. — Let  me  hasten  to  acknowledge 
the  blessings  of  my  heavenly  Father,  and  our  pres- 
ervation amid  the  ravages  of  the  pestilence,  .  .  .  and 
His  especial  goodness  in  bringing  us  once  more 
together  as  a  family,  although  almost  every  member 
of  it  has  at  one  time  or  another  been  more  or  less 
indisposed." 

Susan  Longstreth  had  a  light  attack  of  the  pre- 
vailing disease,  but  with  every  sanitary  precaution 
around  her,  soon  entirely  recovered. 

The  sisters'  unremitting  labor  and  responsibility 
for  ten  months  of  each  year  now  made  a  complete 
change  of  air  and  scene  desirable  in  the  school  vaca- 
tion, and  it  became  their  usual  practice — sometimes 
combining  with  friends,  occasionally  with  only  the 
little  party  of  brothers  and  sisters — to  spend  five  or 
six  weeks  at  Newport  or  Cape  May,  or  in  a  trip  to 
the  then  distant  Niagara  or  White  Mountains.  In 
these  summer  journeyings  they  were  once  more 
young  girls,  entering  with  enthusiasm  into  all  that 
was  grand  or  beautiful,  enjoying  keenly  the  social 
variety,  the  complete  relaxation  from  care  and  rou- 
tine, and  finding  amusement  even  in  the  little  mis- 
haps of  the  way. 


32        MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

In  the  summer  of  1835  they  made  a  visit  to  Niag- 
ara, returning  greatly  refreshed  and  invigorated.  The 
school  rapidly  filled  up  in  the  following  autumn ; 
but  as  the  first  class  was  to  leave  at  the  expiration 
of  the  quarter, — a  time  of  year  when  new  pupils  were 
rarely  received, — both  Mary  Anna  and  her  sister 
were  somewhat  anxious  lest  their  numbers  should 
be  seriously  lessened.  Before  the  old  scholars  left, 
however,  every  vacancy  was  filled ;  and  "  now," 
writes  M.  A.,  in  January,  1836,  "  we  have  an  assem- 
blage of  the  most  amiable  and  interesting  pupils  we 
have  ever  had."  Her  lot  in  life  at  this  time  was  very 
pleasant  to  her.  A  few  months  later  the  diary  con- 
tinues : 

"6th  mo.,  1836. — What  shall  I  render  to  Thee  for 
all  our  blessings  ?  They  are  innumerable,  yet  I  would 
try  to  number  a  few.  Health  excellent, — seldom  a 
pain  or  a  headache ;  my  beloved  mother  and  aunt, 
brothers  and  sisters,  still  spared  to  me;  the  warm 
love  and  esteem  of  those  dear  friends  (and  the  circle 
is  not  small)  whose  love  I  most  desire;  ...  a  school 
of  affectionate  pupils,  and  as  many  as  we  are  willing 
to  have;  and  though  our  anxiety  and  care  are  often 
great,  great  too  is  our  satisfaction  and  sweet  our  rec- 
ompense ;  .  .  .  contentment  to  sweeten  every  labor ; 
hope  to  illumine  every  cloud,  and  a  little  faith  to 
lighten  the  dark  side  of  every  prospect;  happiness 
in  the  past,  the  present,  and  the  future,  in  the  full 


REMOVAL    TO   CHERRY  STREET. 


33 


assurance  that  all  has  been  planned  for  us  in  infinite 
love  and  wisdom." 


In  the  autumn  of  1836  the  school  was  removed 
from  the  private  house  in  Eleventh  Street  (where  the 
family,  however,  continued  to  live  some  time  longer) 
to  more  commodious  quarters  in  Cherry  Street  near 
Eleventh,  where,  with  the  exception  of  one  year  of 
rest,  partly  spent  by  the  sisters  in  Europe,  it  con- 
tinued to  be  held  for  the  next  twenty-one  years.  A 
large  garden  attached  to  the  building,  with  an  open  ' 
wooden  structure  for  rainy  weather,  added  greatly  to 
its  value  for  school  purposes,  and  many  an  eager 
game  was  played  here  in  the  noon  recess  by  merry 
girls  of  thirteen  and  fourteen.  Their  mental  powers 
were  certainly  not  less  active  after  this  welcome  break 
in  the  long  morning  session,  and  when  the  bell  sum- 
moned the  panting  rosy  groups  back  into  the  school- 
room, it  was  for  many  years  Miss  Longstreth's  cus- 
tom to  hold  a  few  minutes'  pause  before  they  dispersed 
to  their  various  classes,  and  read  aloud  a  brief  extract 
— perhaps  only  a  sentence  or  two — from  some  high- 
thoughted  writer, — a  little  seed  dropped  into  the 
ground  when  it  was  most  likely  to  take  root. 

In  1838  the  peaceful  tenor  of  school-life  was 
broken  in  upon  by  a  somewhat  exciting  incident. 
The  hall,  in  which  the  Women's  Abolition  Society 


34 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


were  holding  a  convention,  had  been  set  on  fire  by 
a  mob  on  the  evening  of  May  17.  Twenty  thou- 
sand people,  it  was  said,  thronged  around  the  burn- 
ing building,  and,  as  the  firemen  were  not  allowed  to 
play  upon  the  flames,  it  was  completely  destroyed. 
The  convention,  not  to  be  thus  baffled,  repaired  next 
morning  to  another  public  hall,  and  being  refused 
admittance,  one  of  their  number,  in  her  zeal  for  a 
cause  warranting,  as  she  thought,  any  risks,  invited 
the  whole  body  to  assemble  in  her  school-room,  im- 
" mediately  over  that  of  Miss  Longstreth.  Although 
but  one  session  of  the  society  was  held  there  pre- 
vious to  their  final  adjournment,  the  populace  heard 
of  it,  and  the  building  was  marked  for  destruction. 

"  Our  fears,"  says  M.  A.  L.,  "  were  of  course  pow- 
erfully excited,  and  the  owner  of  the  property  gave 
up  all  idea  of  its  preservation.  .  .  .  We  were  favored 
with  the  company  of  dear  Uncle  Grellet,*  who,  during 
a  time  of  silence,  commended  us  to  Him  who  is  a 
covert  from  the  heat  and  a  refuge  from  the  storm. 

*  Stephen  Grellet,  who  had  married  Mrs.  Longstreth's  eldest  sis- 
ter, was  a  man  whose  career  was  as  remarkable  as  his  character. 
Born  a  Frenchman,  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  the  heir  of  rank  and 
wealth,  he  lost  his  estates  in  the  French  Revolution,  became  by 
adoption  an  American  citizen,  and  by  convincement  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  Friends.  Finally,  as  an  accredited  minister  among  them, 
he  carried  the  gospel  message  among  the  great  as  well  as  the  lowly 
of  the  earth,  with  the  spirit  and  power  of  an  apostle. 


REMINISCENCES. 


35 


"  Between  eight  and  nine  o'clock  we  were  informed 
that  the  mob  had  assembled  round  the  building,  and 
that  there  was  little  or  no  hope  of  its  being  saved 
from  the  flames.  Several  of  our  friends  kindly 
called  to  extend  their  sympathy,  and  our  inde- 
fatigable friend,  Mordecai  L.  Dawson,  went  among 
the  populace,  and  at  not  a  little  personal  risk  and 
with  much  exertion,  succeeded,  with  a  few  others,  in 
diverting  them  from  the  school-house,  so  that  before 
ten  o'clock  the  mob  dispersed  without  doing  the  least 
injury." 

The  next  four  or  five  years,  though  checkered 
with  the  joys  and  sorrows  incident  to  all  human 
life,  were  years  of  great  prosperity  in  the  school  and 
great  happiness  among  the  scholars.  The  following 
letter  is  from  a  pupil  of  this  period,  well  able  to 
judge  both  of  the  moral  and  literary  standing  of  the 
school  when  she  belonged  to  it : 

"  MY  DEAR  M. : 

"  I  could  hardly  in  the  compass  of  a  letter  add 
any  new  testimony  to  the  virtues  of  the  beloved 
friend  and  teacher  of  my  youth,  and  yet  my  heart 
would  prompt  me  to  record  some  of  the  memories 
of  those  happy  school  days,  where  lessons  were 
made  so  attractive  that  the  taskwork  was  seldom 
felt  to  be  a  burden,  and  where  the  spirit  of  truthful- 
ness, purity,  and  gentleness  emanating  from  the 
teachers  so  pervaded  the  school  that  all  sternness 


36        MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

of  rule  was  unnecessary.  It  was  the  law  of  love 
that  governed  us,  and  the  obedience  given  was  from 
the  heart. 

"  The  years  that  I  spent  with  them  were  to  me 
ideal,  golden  days,  when  study  was  made  a  delight; 
and  I  must  consider  the  period  as  almost  the  golden 
age  of  the  school,  for  the  sisters  had  then  attained 
the  full  maturity  of  their  powers,  and,  as  the  number 
of  pupils  was  still  comparatively  small,  we  had  the 
full  benefit  of  their  instruction  and  personal  influence, 
for,  excepting  the  French  teacher  Gardel,  there  was 
little  outside  assistance. 

"  I  cannot  dissociate  them  in  my  mind,  for  the 
work  went  on  so  harmoniously,  each  supplementing 
the  other,  that  there  seemed  but  one  ruling  spirit. 
I  have  never  known  the  power  of  precept  and  ex- 
ample more  beautifully  blended;  the  approval  of  our 
teachers  was  our  great  incentive  to  effort;  admiration 
and  love  of  goodness  in  them  became  our  moving 
spring,  and  gratitude  for  their  faithful  labors  for  us 
lent  a  glow  of  pleasure  to  all  we  attempted. 

"There  must  have  been  some  singular  beauty  of 
character  thus  to  impress  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
thoughtless  young  girls,  and  without  now  dwelling 
upon  the  purity  and  conscientiousness  of  the  younger 
sister,  which  seemed  to  give  her  the  divining  power 
of  Ithuriel's  spear,  I  recall  the  simplicity  and  youth- 
ful brightness,  and  innocence  of  face  and  manner, 
that,  combined  with  a  perfect  gift  of  sympathy,  so 
endeared  Miss  Mary  Anna  to  us.  To  these  lovely 
qualities  were  added  in  both  an  intelligence  that  not 


GOLDEN  DA  KS." 


37 


only  quickly  apprehended  the  bearings  of  a  subject, 
but  the  difficulties  of  other  minds  in  dealing  with 
it ;  and  while  principle  and  habit  forbade  them  to  do 
anything  imperfectly  or  slightingly,  their  patience 
with  slowness  and  dulness  was  unwearied. 

"  As  a  member  of  the  same  religious  society  with 
them,  I  remember  their  consistent  adherence  to  its 
principles  and  practice,  while  they  were  entirely  free 
from  the  spirit  of  dogmatism,  or  interference  with 
the  differing  views  of  their  pupils. 

"  I  leave  it  to  others  to  tell  of  the  fostering  help 
they  were  always  ready  to  extend  to  young  aspirants 
in  their  own  field  of  labor,  and  the  untiring  energy 
with  which  in  later  life  they  threw  themselves  into 
wide  and  various  educational  and  benevolent  inter- 
ests. But  the  picture  of  the  school  as  it  stands  up 
in  my  memory  can  never  be  effaced ;  we  seemed  to 
live  in  an  atmosphere  of  intelligence,  refinement,  and 
love,  and  the  girl  must  have  been  dull  and  cold- 
hearted  indeed  that  did  not  feel  the  sweet  influence 
of  the  place,  where  uprightness  and  gentleness,  and 
all  that  was  pure  and  lovely  and  of  good  report,  were 
encouraged,  and  we  felt  that  insincerity,  selfishness, 
and  coarseness  would  always  be  severely  judged. 

"  I  doubt  not  that  the  enthusiasm  in  the  pursuit  of 
knowledge  awakened  there  has  accompanied  many 
of  their  pupils  into  their  after-life,  and  has  borne 
fruit  in  the  education  and  training  of  their  own 
children. 

"  E.  W.  C." 

4 


3  8       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

In  1839,  M.  A.  L.'s  youngest  sister,  who  had 
now  for  several  years  taken  part  in  the  teaching, 
and  whom  the  students  of  that  time  will  no  doubt 
well  remember  as  "  Miss  Elizabeth,"  was  married  to 
Mr.  Israel  Morris.  This  event,  naturally  of  great 
interest  and  importance  to  the  family  circle,  involved 
also  a  slight  change  in  the  school,  some  salaried 
aid  from  without  becoming  necessary. 

The  general  financial  distress  of  1842  had  its 
immediate  effect  upon  all  the  schools  of  the  com- 
munity, and  some  were  entirely  broken  up.  The 
number  of  Miss  Longstreth's  pupils  was  greatly  re- 
duced both  in  this  and  the  following  year,  and  the 
sisters  felt  the  diminution  of  income  seriously, 
though  less  for  themselves  than  for  others  whom 
it  was  their  delight  to  aid.  The  thinning  out  of  their 
pupils,  however,  had  its  compensations,  for  in  May, 
1844,  Mary  Anna  writes  : 

"  Sweets  have  been  mingled  with  our  cup  of  trial. 
Our  school,  though  disappointing  in  a  pecuniary 
view,  has  been  exceedingly  pleasant, — never  more  so, 
— and  never  more  crowned  with  success  in  the  im- 
provement of  our  pupils,  both  in  their  deportment 
and  in  their  studies.  Most  of  them  have  done  as 
much  as  we  could  desire,  and  our  aim  is  very  high." 


CHAPTER    III. 

MAY-PARTIES,    ETC. 

THE  aunt  Susan  Longstreth,  who  had  always 
been  like  an  indulgent*  grandmother  to  her  young 
nieces,  and  had  made  her  home  at  Greenway  a 
haven  of  rest  and  refreshment  to  them  in  every 
interval  of  work,  took  the  warmest  interest  in  the 
school  from  its  first  establishment,  and  instituted  at 
once  its  chief  annual  holiday.  The  whole  band  of 
young  girls  were  invited  to  spend  a  long  May-day 
under  her  spreading  trees,  their  parents  joining 
them,  if  they  so  inclined,  in  the  afternoon.  To  give 
additional  point  and  interest  to  the  day,  a  May- 
queen  was  chosen,  with  attendant  maids  of  honor, 
who  crowned  the  mimic  sovereign  with  a  chaplet 
of  flowers,  and  invested  her  with  the  emblematic 
sceptre,  accompanying  the  little  pageant  with  poeti- 
cal addresses  composed  for  the  occasion.  These 
May-day  effusions,  while  intended  simply  to  express 
the  love  and  devotion  of  young  school-girls  to  a 
favorite  companion  in  smooth-flowing  rhyme,  had 
a  great  charm  for  impressible  girls  of  sixteen,  and 

39 


4o 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRET1L 


the  white-robed  procession,  winding  under  the  trees 
across  "  Aunt  Susan's"  lawn,  the  child  Floras  strew- 
ing flowers  before  the  queen,  was  a  sight  dear  to 
Miss  Mary  Anna's  heart.  Each  young  figure  there 
had  been  an  object  of  especial  care  to  her,  often  of 
the  most  earnest  solicitude,  and  whatever  faults  or 
deficiencies  there  had  been  to  contend  with,  none 
were  remembered  on  these  red-letter  days. 

Another  pupil  of  this  time,  whose  irrepressible 
spirits  were  the  delight  of  the  school,  and  the  theme 
of  many  an  amusing  anecdote  told  long  afterwards, 
thus  gives  her  recollections  of  teachers,  school,  and 
May-parties : 

"  When  I  first  went  to  school  I  was  but  nine  years 
old,  therefore  my  recollections  are  very  childish, 
though  vivid,  as  to  school  details.  I  can  never  for- 
get Miss  Mary  Anna's  kindness  to  me,  or  the  loving 
fashion  in  which  she  tried  to  overcome  my  shyness ; 
for  I  was  very  shy,  and  very  much  frightened,  partly, 
I  think,  because  she  had  told  my  mother  that  I  was 
so  much  younger  than  any  pupil  she  then  had  that 
it  would  only  be  in  case  of  my  ability  to  keep  up 
with  the  class  that  I  should  be  allowed  to  stay. 
This  fired  my  ambition  of  course,  and  I  deter- 
mined I  would  study  so  hard  that  I  should  be  per- 
mitted to  stay.  This  resolution  was  strengthened 
when  I  found  how  dear  and  lovely  my  teachers 
were.  I  think  it  was  a  case  of  love  at  first  sight,  as 


SYMPATHY    WITH  CHILDHOOD.  4[ 

I  can  recollect  my  enthusiastic  description  of  the 
teachers,  the  school,  etc.,  to  my  parents  on  my  re- 
turn home  the  first  day.  I  was  so  enchanted  with 
the  Friendly  '  thee'  and  '  thou,'  which  was  quite  new 
to  me,  that  I  determined  at  once  to  adopt  it  as  my 
own  style  of  speech,  a.  proceeding  which  was  sum- 
marily stopped  by  my  father.  From  that  day  I  have 
never  swerved  in  my  love  and  loyalty  to  both  the 
dear  sisters.  I  cannot  separate  them  in  my  memory 
in  any  way,  though  loving  them  in  different  fashion. 
Playfulness  was  never  reproved  by  them  except  when 
indulged  in  at  improper  times,  and  so  truly  did  Miss 
Mary  Anna  understand  the  impossibility  of  repres- 
sion in  a  very  active  child,  alive  to  any  mischief, 
that  her  clear  eyes  would  often  twinkle  with  amuse- 
ment and  with  the.effort  to  keep  from  laughing  during 
a  recitation.  She  would  never  be  severe  except  when 
there  was  disobedience  or  underhand  dealing  of  any 
sort.  Clear  and  open  as  the  day  herself,  she  could 
not  tolerate  duplicity  in  others.  If  we  did  wrong, 
and  openly  acknowledged  it,  with  any  expression  of 
penitence  or  promise  of  amendment,  she  would  lov- 
ingly forgive  us,  often  putting  her  arm  around  us 
and  bestowing  that  most  coveted  of  all  gifts  from 
her,  a  kiss  of  forgiveness.  I  believe  there  were  very 
few  of  the  girls  who  offended  wilfully  or  refused  the 
expression  of  regret  for  their  disobedience.  There 
was  a  wonderful  frankness  and  freshness  of  feeling 
about  her, — a  brightness  I  think  it  might  be  called, — 
so  that  being  in  the  same  room  with  her  seemed 
like  being  in  the  sunshine. 


42 


MEMOIR  OF  .MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


"  The  May-days  were  the  days  of  especial  delight. 
Miss  Mary  Anna  used  to  throw  herself  into  the  ar- 
rangements as  heartily  as  the  most  enthusiastic  of 
her  pupils,  and  I  think  it  was  marvellous  to  see  the 
entire  absence  of  heart-burning  or  jealousy  among 
the  candidates  for  the  honors  of  the  day.     Of  course 
in  so  large  a  school  there  were  usually  two  or  three 
who  were    eligible    for   queen,   many  for    maids    of 
honor  and  pages,  yet  the  voting  was  always  pleasant, 
although  exciting,  and  I  never,  in  the  six  May-days 
in  which  I  participated,  remember  any  expression  of 
feeling  which  would  seem  to  show  vexation  of  spirit. 
The  lovely  home  at  Greenway,  with  dear  Aunt  Susan 
always  so  glad  to  welcome  the  group  of  happy  girls ; 
the    visit    to    Bartram's    Garden,    from    which    we 
came    back  to    Greenway  laden   with    flowers ;    the 
making   of  the  queen's    crown   and    sceptre;    Miss 
Mary  Anna's  bright,  happy  face  everywhere  radiant, 
always  ready  to  listen,  admire,  and  help,  never  flur- 
ried  or  vexed,  is  before  me    now.      It  was  simply 
charming  to  be  with  her  and  near  her.     I  remember 
when  the  first  voting  was  talked  of  after  I  went  to 
school,  I  was  very  near  sending  up  my  vote  for  Miss 
Mary  Anna,  only  I  was  captured  by  an  older  girl 
and  made  to  give  up  my  cherished  plan.     I  thought 
how  lovely  she  would  look  with  her  crown  of  flowers, 
and  felt  almost  too  indignant  at  the  disappointment 
to  vote  for  any  one  else.     Her  love  of  flowers  was 
beautiful  to  see.    We  had  a  white  rose  climbing  over 
the  west  wall  of  the  school,  and  near  by  a  large  bed 
of  lilies  of  the  valley,  and  I  can  see  her  now  bending 


A  FULL    SCHOOL. 


43 


down  to  pluck  the  lovely  flowers.  ...  Of  both  these 
two  dear  friends  it  will  be  said,  '  Their  works  do 
follow  them.'  How  blessed  was  their  influence  can 
only  be  known  hereafter. 

"  H.  T.  C." 

In  the  season  of  1844-45  tne  tide  of  business  pros- 
perity had  begun  to  turn,  but  the  school  of  thirty 
pupils  still  required  great  personal  exertion  and  much 
economy  of  management.  Other  far  more  wearing 
anxieties,  from  repeated  illnesses  in  the  family,  added 
to  the  strain  upon  the  sisters,  and  at  times  the  burden 
seemed  almost  more  than  they  could  bear.  Mary 
Anna,  as  responsible  head  of  the  school,  was  re- 
lieved as  much  as  possible  from  all  domestic  care, 
but  Susan,  at  once  teacher,  housekeeper,  and  nurse, 
could  not  easily  find  a  deputy,  and  in  a  few  months 
her  overtaxed  strength  so  gave  way  as  to  cause 
serious  alarm.  The  rest  and  change  of  the  summer 
vacation,  however,  restored  both  sisters  to  their  usual 
health,  and  the  following  September  found  them  once 
more  full  of  fresh  energy  for  their  work.  The  school 
was  now  overflowing;  they  had  many  more  appli- 
cants than  they  could  receive ;  and  from  this  time 
forth  their  fears  of  inadequate  numbers  were  at  an 
end.  They  had  earned  a  high  reputation  for  consci- 
entious thoroughness,  and  many  parents,  in  no  way 
connected  with  the  Society  of  Friends,  were  not  sat- 


44 


MEMOIR   OF  MARY  ANNA   LONGSTRET1I. 


isfied  until  they  had  secured  places  for  children  not 
yet  old  enough  to  enter.  They  gradually  increased 
the  number  admitted  to  something  over  forty,  and 
could  easily  have  doubled  it  had  they  thought  best. 
In  the  years  1847-48  over  a  hundred  applicants  were 
necessarily  refused.  The  actual  work  of  instruction 
in  the  school-room  was  only  part  of  the  labor  in- 
volved. In  March,  1849,  Mary  Anna  writes: 

"  I  have  had  an  exceedingly  busy  winter,  the  most 
laborious,  I  think,  I  have  ever  had.  Twenty-two  of 
our  pupils  are  over  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  are 
capable  of  accomplishing  a  great  amount  of  study 
and  writing,  so  that  their  translations,  exercises, 
etc.,  have  given  me  a  great  deal  of  work  at  home. 
But  I  have  been  remarkably  favored  with  health. 
It  has  been  my  best  winter  in  that  respect  for 
years." 

"  She  actually  enjoyed  sitting  down  to  look  over  a 
great  pile  of  exercises,"  says  Miss  Susan,  "and  would 
hasten  us  up-stairs  late  in  the  evening  that  she  might 
set  to  work  at  them." 

Twenty  years  of  teaching  had  only  intensified  her 
interest  in  her  work.  Her  spirit,  mental  or  bodily, 
showed  no  sign  of  flagging;  but  Susan,  on  whom 
undoubtedly  had  fallen  the  heavier  nervous  strain, 
and  whose  home-cares  were  likely  rather  to  increase 
than  diminish,  felt  that  her  term  of  active  service  in 


DELIGHT  IN  WORK. 


45 


the  school  was  near  its  close.     The  diary,  a  few  weeks 
later,  continues : 

"6th  mo.  y>th,  1849. — Twenty  years  of  teaching 
have  passed, — twenty  years  of  happiness,  and,  I  hum- 
bly hope,  of  some  degree  of  usefulness.  .  .  .  This  is 
the  period  during  which,  I  have  long  hoped,  my  dear 
sister  and  myself  might  be  permitted  to  labor  unitedly, 
and  my  desire  has  been  fulfilled.  She  will  now  rest 
from  her  conscientious,  faithful,  self-denying  exer- 
tions, and  many  hearts  bless  her  this  day.  Should  my 
life  and  health  be  spared,  it  is  my  intention  to  continue 
my  interesting  and  delightful  task  some  time  longer, 
without  fixing  any  time  at  present.  At  one  period 
of  my  life  there  was  every  prospect  that  I  would  be 
rich,  the  inheritor  of  a  large  fortune,  but  I  can  truly 
say  I  rejoice  that  such  a  prospect  was  not  realized. 
.  .  .  True,  there  have  been  many  trials  of  patience, 
many  crosses,  some  disappointments,  much  labor, 
many  privations,  but  all  have  been  richly  compen- 
sated by  the  peace  and  happiness  I  have  enjoyed,  and 
the  gratitude  of  our  beloved  pupils. 

"  gtli  mo.  loth. — School  has  opened  very  pleasantly, 
— never  more  so, —  .  .  .  and  the  dear  girls  seem  not 
only  pleased  to  return,  but  to  be  in  the  best  disposition 
to  do  right.  My  two  assistants,  Anna  W.  H  inch  man 
and  Anna  Shinn,  are  very  exertive  and  satisfactory. 
I  do  feel  lonely  sometimes  without  my  dear  Susan, 
but  there  is  not  a  doubt  upon  our  minds  that  it  is  the 
right  tim'e  for  her  to  be  released.  .  .  .  For  myself,  I 
have  not  a  wish  to  be  excused,  but  shall  feel  it  a  great 


46       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA   LONGSTRETH. 

privilege  if  I  am  favored  with  health  and  strength  to 
continue  my  school  for  some  years." 

The  burden  was  lightened  for  her  as  far  as  could 
be  possible.  Susan,  although  she  only  appeared  in 
the  school-room  to  fill  now  and  then  a  temporary 
vacancy,  was  an  essential  aid  to  her  sister  at  home. 
She  still  made  out  the  fortnightly  reports  of  lessons 
and  conduct  (no  light  task,  certainly),  examined  and 
corrected  exercises,  etc.,  beside  relieving  Mary  Anna 
of  all  care,  even  of  her  own  wardrobe.  The  latter 
was  in  her  element,  and  after  nearly  nine  months  of 
unshared  responsibility,  her  health,  even  in  the  first 
debilitating  heats  of  spring,  was  better  than  usual. 
"  I  do  not  remember,"  she  writes  in  May,  1850, 
"that  I  have  felt  for  many  years  as  well  and  strong 
(at  this  season)  as  I  do  now."  She  had  even  escaped 
the  sore  throat  which  was  generally  the  result  of  the 
incessant  use  of  her  voice  during  the  winter.  There 
was  no  leisure  now  for  even  an  occasional  entry  in 
the  journal,  but  a  pencilled  fragment  laid  between  its 
leaves,  and  evidently  belonging  to  the  year  1851, 
gives  no  indication  of  flagging  energies  or  over- 
wrought nerves. 

"  To-day  I  am  forty  years  old.  How  strange  it 
seems  to  me !  I  do  not  feel  more  than  twenty.  My 
health  has  been  very  good  this  winter,  with  the 


FORTY    YEARS   OLD." 


47 


exception  of  a  few  colds,  and  my  nervous  system 
far  stronger  than  it  was  some  years  ago.  Forty 
years!  How  old  it  seems,  when  my  sympathies  are 
warm  with  the  dear  ones  round  me  who  have  not 
seen  sixteen  summers !  If  I  were  twenty  years 
younger  how  gladly  would  I  commence  another  term 
of  twenty  years'  teaching!  I  am  not  the  least  tired 
of  my  post,  though  sometimes  I  feel  the  confinement, 
which  prevents  me  from  passing  more  time  with  my 
friends,  especially  those  advanced  in  age,  and  some- 
times I  wish  for  more  time  to  devote  to  my  little 
nephews  and  niece.  But  I  feel  that  I  am  in  my  right 
place,  at  least  for  the  present." 

Four  years  of  this  kind  of  high  pressure  brought 
the  inevitable  reaction.  For  three  years  she  finds  no 
time  even  for  her  journal,  and  then  the  first  record  is 
one  of  spiritual  discouragement.  For  several  months 
she  had  been  haunted  by  the  idea  that  her  Chris- 
tian faith  was  a  delusion.  She  was  "a  cumberer  of 
the  ground,"  "  a  barren  fig-tree."  One  needs  little 
pathological  insight  to  read  between  the  lines  the 
whole  story,  and  to  be  glad  that  wise  friends  pro- 
moted that  delightful  rest  and  movement- cure  com- 
bined, without  its  equal  for  overworked  Americans, 
men  or  women, — a  trip  to  Europe. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

FIRST  TRIP  TO   EUROPE. 

ON  June  1 1,  1853,  accompanied  by  a  party  of  rela- 
tives and  friends,  three  of  whom  were  to  be  their 
travelling  companions,  the  sisters,  Mary  Anna  and 
Susan,  left  for  New  York,  and  the  next  day  embarked 
in  the  steamship  Atlantic,  whose  agreeable  and  kind- 
hearted  Captain  West  was  ever  afterwards  one  of 
the  pleasantest  memories  of  the  voyage.  That  sine 
qua  non  of  an  ocean  trip  in  these  days,  a  steamer- 
chair,  seems  to  have  been  a  luxury  as  yet  unthought 
of,  and  the  captain's  buffalo-robe  and  great-coat  were 
boons  for  which  his  favorites  were  always  grateful. 
"  Certainly  we  can  never  forget  this  buffalo-robe," 
writes  Miss  Susan ;  "  it  seems  to  be  medicated.  Every 
one  who  even  puts  her  feet  on  it  is  comforted." 

Miss  Mary  Anna  proved  a  capital  sailor,  enjoying 
every  stage  of  these  new  experiences,  and  when  the 
deck,  on  which  the  rest  of  the  party  spent  most  of 
their  time,  became  too  breezy  for  her,  she  would  join 
an  entertaining  and  congenial  group  of  fellow-pas- 
sengers in  the  cabin,  or  write  animated  bulletins  of 
48 


THE    VOYAGE. 


49 


their  progress  to  the  family  at  home.  The  very  first 
evening  on  shipboard  she  began  the  series  of  journal- 
letters  continued  throughout  the  trip,  from  which  the 
following  extracts  are  taken : 

"  When  the  last  waving  was  over,  Mary  W.  said 
to  us,  '  Now  we  must  be  all  the  world  to  one  an- 
other,'  and  I  assure  you  we  all  felt  disposed  to  cling 
together  as  closely  as  possible." 

The  woes  of  sea-sickness  soon  overtook  several 
members  of  the  party,  who  in  a  few  days,  however, 
and  with  only  occasional  relapses,  recovered  all  their 
wonted  powers  of  enjoyment. 

"  Nothing  can  exceed  the  captain's  kindness  to  M. 
W.,  and  indeed  to  all  the  invalids.  This  evening  he 
took  M.  on  deck,  where  he  put  her  into  his  great- 
coat of  huge  dimensions.  Elizabeth  C,  who  is  all 
life  and  gayety,  is  now  her  room-mate,  and  they  enjoy 
each  other's  society. 

"  We  had  an  amusing  time  opening  dear  S.  P. 
Morris's  packages.  Our  curiosity  had  been  con- 
siderably excited,  and  we  made  our  circle  try  to 
guess  the  contents,  which  proved  to  be  deliciously- 
preserved  ginger  in  beautiful  boxes,  with  an  exqui- 
site note  and  verses.  .  .  . 

"  Our  indulgent  captain  not  only  sends  up  buffalo- 
robes,  but  allows  us  to  have  cushions  from  the  saloon 
for  the  accommodation  of  his  especial  protegees,  who 

5 


50        MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

are  snugly  stowed  away  under  a  pile  of  shawls  and 
cloaks,  other  invalids  similarly  wrapped  in  their  own 
robes  dotting  the  deck  all  over. 

"...  The  Morris  party,  from  Baltimore,  are  de- 
lightful,— so  are  S.  B.  Lyon  and  his  wife.  Dr.  Dela- 
field's  wife  is  charming.  Dr.  Berrian  and  his  wife, 
A.  J.  Bleecker  and  his  wife,  are  very  polite  to  us,  and, 
as  I  also  find  the  deck  too  breezy,  I  am  much  in  their 
society. 

"  i6///. — Though  no  icebergs  are  visible  we  are 
surrounded  by  ice-water.  .  .  .  The  Spanish  ladies 
seem  to  suffer  greatly  from  the  cold.  The  captain 
has  had  the  large  saloon  heated  for  them,  and  there 
they  lie  nearly  all  day  on  the  sofas,  and  their  own 
embroidered  pillows,  under  satin  quilts,  close  to  the 
heater.  They  have  their  own  servants, — one  family 
a  steward,  cook,  nurse,  etc.  Some  of  the  ladies  are 
greatly  amused  by  the  indolence  and  helplessness 
of  these  Spanish  signoras,  whose  maids  absolutely 
put  the  food  into  their  mistresses'  mouths.  The  feel- 
ing of  dislike  to  them  was,  however,  quite  lessened 
when  one  of  these  same  dames  sent  a  handsome 
sum  toward  the  fund  for  the  orphan  children  of  sea- 
men. 

"  We  experience  the  greatest  kindness  from  our 
fellow-passengers,  even  from  those  who  were  entire 
strangers  to  us.  Mme.  Le  Vert,  daughter  of  Colonel 
Walton  (ex-governor  of  Florida),  related  some  beau- 
tiful legends  of  the  Indians, — the  Cherokee  rose, 
Tallahassee,  the  land  of  beauty,  and  that  of  Ala- 
bama. A  tribe  of  Indians,  who  fled  from  their  relent- 


I  HE   CAPTAIN'S  DINNER.  5! 

less  foes  to  the  trackless  forests  of  the  Southwest, 
weary  and  travel-worn,  reached  a  noble  river,  which 
flowed  through  a  beautiful  country.  The  chief  stuck 
his  tent-pole  in  the  ground,  and  exclaimed,  '  Ala- 
bama !  Alabama ! — Here  we  rest !'  The  old  chief 
who  told  her  these  legends  in  her  childhood  used  to 
call  her  the  White  Dove  of  Peace. 

"6//J  mo.  2\st. — We  saw  last  evening  the  light- 
houses on  Fastness  Rock  and  Cape  Clear,  and  this 
morning  the  beautiful  Tuskar  light  was  the  first 
object  that  presented  itself.  The  sea  is  of  a  peculiar 
light  green,  every  wave  transparent.  There  is  all 
over  the  ship  an  unsettlement,  an  excitement,  that 
betokens  this  to  be  the  last  day  on  board.  Mary  W. 
and  I  have  been  watching  the  sailors  drawing  up  the 
huge  chains  attached  to  the  anchor,  and  kept  in  the 
hold  during  the  voyage ;  their  rough  voices  sounded 
quite  musical  as  they  walked  with  measured  steps 
around  the  windlass  and  kept  time  with  their  songs. 
We  could  not  make  out  much  of  what  they  said,  but 
they  looked  happy.  Then  M.  C.  K.  and  I  sat  alone 
for  a  while  at  the  bow,  enjoying  the  beautiful  sea  and 
perfect  quietness  of  feeling  amid  the  unrest  of  the 
waves." 

The  captain's  dinner,  with  its  epigrammatic  pun- 
ning toasts,  on  the  eve  of  landing,  fills  a  lively  page 
of  the  diary: 

" '  Our  ladies.'  Their  fair  faces  and  gentle  man- 
ners entitle  them  to  a  general  passport.  When  once 


52        MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

vised,  may  foreign  customs  do  no  injury  to  their  native 
liabits. 

"  '  The  ladies  of  the  Atlantic.1  The  true  mermaids, 
who  beguile  time  and  not  sailors. 

"  '  Our  humble  friends,  the  waiters  of  the  ship.'  To 
their  diligence,  civility,  and  unceasing  exertions  we 
are  indebted  for  much  of  our  comfort  on  the  voyage. 
May  our  liberality  more  than  crcnvn  their  labors,  if  it 
do  not  effect  for  them  a  sovereign  cure. 

" '  Our  visit  East,'  painful  only  as  it  separates  us 
from  our  favorite  WEST. 

"  Without  drinking  the  champagne,  we  entered 
into  the  spirit  of  the  affair  and  enjoyed  it,  having  a 
private  toast  to  Susy's  good  friend,  the  buffalo-robe. 

"  After  dinner  everybody  was  packing  up  and 
collecting  shawls,  baskets,  and  little  appendages;  the 
great  packing  had  been  finished  in  the  morning. 
By  8  P.M.  we  were  in  the  fog  and  smoke  of  Liver- 
pool, though  some  miles  from  it.  All  day,  while 
sailing  up  St.  George's  Channel  and  the  Irish  Sea, 
we  had  our  American  sunshine  and  blue  sky.  Oh, 
how  delightful  it  was !  .  .  .  And  this  is  the  old 
world !  .  .  .  The  Mersey  is  here  a  wide,  noble- 
looking  stream,  and  Birkenhead,  how  beautiful  it  is 
with  its  green  banks !  But  everything  has  a  more 
foreign  air  than  we  expected.  Now  the  mail-boat 
comes  alongside.  G.  G.  Gray,  bearer  of  despatches, 
and  a  few  other  privileged  ones,  go  off  and  steam 
rapidly  to  Liverpool.  This  gentleman  takes  with 
him  the  names  of  twenty  or  thirty  of  our  passengers 
to  secure  rooms  for  us  at  the  Adelphi  Hotel.  .  .  .  But 


ENGLISH  FRIENDS. 


53 


what  a  gloomy  aspect  this  great  city  presents  as  we 
approach  it !  A  vast  pall  of  black  smoke  hangs  over 
it,  and  the  fog  is  so  dense  that  it  feels  like  rain.  .  .  . 
Sad,  lonely  thoughts  are  stealing  over  us,  when  we 
perceive  two  friendly-looking  persons  making  their 
way  towards  us.  They  were  no  others  than  Francis 
Thompson  and  Benjamin  Seebohm.  You  may  read- 
ily imagine  how  grateful  it  was  to  us  to  see  them  and 
receive  their  warm  welcome  to  old  England.  Cousins 
S.  and  S.  T.  had  been  on  the  wharf  more  than  two 
hours  waiting  for  us,  but  when  ten  o'clock  came  and 
we  did  not  arrive,  they  were  obliged  to  return  home 
disappointed.  Cousin  F.  T.  invited  us  two  at  once 
to  his  house,  but  we  thought  it  best  to  go  to  the 
Adelphi  Hotel  with  our  friends. 

22d. — Most  of  the  friends  we  made  on  shipboard 
are  with  us  at  the  Adelphi.  We  have  two  parlors, 
which  communicate,  and  at  their  request  we  all 
breakfasted  together.  Soon  afterwards  our  kind 
cousins,  Francis  Thompson  and  his  daughter  S., 
called,  and  engaged  us  all  to  dine  with  them  at 
Holland  Terrace.  Benjamin  Seebohm  also  made 
us  a  long  and  very  pleasant  visit.  Then  Captain 
West  and  several  of  our  gentlemen  passengers  called. 
One  of  the  latter  sent  to  the  ladies  collectively  a 
basket  of  superb  fruit, — peaches  of  great  beauty  and 
very  fragrant,  black  Hamburg  grapes,  cherries,  and 
strawberries, — and  a  large  basket  of  equally  fine 
fruit  to  Elizabeth  C.  How  delicious  the  grapes  are ! 
The  morning  flew  by  rapidly  in  conversation  with 
our  friends.  The  sun  came  out  brilliantly  about  1 1 

5* 


54 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA   LONGSTRETH. 


A.M.,  and  on  remarking  this  to  Captain  West,  he 
playfully  replied  that  he  had  opened  the  hatches  of 
his  vessel  at  that  time  and  let  out  some  American 
sunshine." 

The  friends  with  whom  they  were  to  dine  on  this 
their  first  day  in  England  had  been  guests  of  nearly 
every  member  of  the  party  in  America,  and  it  was  a 
time  of  close  and  most  affectionate  intercourse. 

"  The  visit  was  everything  we  could  ask  or  desire," 
•  writes  M.  A. ;  "  it  was  heavenly.  .  .  .  After  dinner  we 
took  a  delightful  walk  through  Edge  Lane  to  the 
Botanic  Garden.  Our  friends  at  the  hotel  almost 
envy  our  enjoyment  in  finding  old  friends  in  Eng- 
land; some  of  them  had  just  returned  from  a  drive 
in  a  four-horse  barouche,  with  postilions.  They 
ordered  tea  in  our  parlor,  and  when  the  candles  were 
brought,  looked  to  see  if  it  was  too  late  to  call  at  the 
Waterloo,  but  found  it  was  nearly  10^  P.M.  The 
days  are  so  long  in  this  high  latitude.  The  weather 
is  warm,  almost  sultry." 

Another  pleasant  visit  from  Captain  West,  two 
more  baskets  of  choice  fruit  for  "  Miss  C.  and  the 
ladies,"  and  then  the  large  and  friendly  steamer- 
party  broke  up.  Some  were  starting  for  Scotland, 
Wales,  or  the  Continent;  M.  A.  L.  and  her  sister, 
with  their  travelling  companions,  for  a  visit  to  the 
north  of  England. 


AN  ENGLISH  HOME. 


55 


"As  B.  Seebohm  has  been  so  kind  as  to  come  for 
us  all  the  way  from  Bradford,  we  think  it  best  to 
defer  our  intended  visit  to  Chester,  and  even  to  give 
up  seeing  Liverpool  for  the  present,  in  order  to  go 
home  with  him.  We  went  to  meeting,  and  oh,  how 
I  wish  I  could  give  you  an  impression  of  the  delight- 
ful sermon  he  preached  !  I  heard  many  excellent  ser- 
mons from  him  in  America,  but  this  one  surpassed 
them  all  in  sweetness,  depth,  and  power." 

The  weather  continued  warm  and  sultry,  and  a 
railroad-ride  through  the  unpicturesque  and  smoky 
districts  of  manufacturing  England  was  not  favorable 
to  first  impressions,  but  even  here  they  found  some- 
thing to  admire  and  enjoy. 

Bradford  itself  was  unattractive,  but  not  so  the 
little  domestic  interior  to  which  they  were  now  wel- 
comed. The  doors  of  many  a  beautiful  English 
home  were  opened  wide  for  the  sisters  during  their 
stay  in  the  island,  but  they  write  of  none  with  more 
entire  enjoyment  and  appreciation  than  this.  The 
simpler  mode  of  life,  made  necessary  by  a  recent 
change  of  circumstances,  had  not  narrowed  the  hearts 
of  the  occupants  or  lessened  the  refinement  of  their 
hospitality,  and  it  certainly  brought  out  more  strongly 
the  nobility  and  sweetness  of  character  and  beauty  of 
life  which  made  the  ministry  of  Benjamin  Seebohm 
so  doubly  persuasive. 


56       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

"  6///  mo.  2$th. — At  3  P.M.  we  set  off  in  the  cars  to 
visit  the  ruins  of  Kirkstall  Abbey,  dear  E.  Seebohm 
and  three  of  her  children  going  with  us.  A  few  miles 
on  the  railway  between  Bradford  and  Leeds  brought 
us  within  sight  of  the  ruins.  We  stopped  at  a  little 
bridge  that  gracefully  spans  the  Aire,  and  after  a 
short  walk  found  ourselves  at  the  great  door  of  the 
ancient  Abbey  church.  Most  of  the  roof  had  fallen 
in  long  ago,  but  the  walls  and  lofty  pillars  still  stand, 
a  monument  of  its  former  grandeur.  We  were  awe- 
struck as  we  walked  up  the  nave,  and  through  the 
choir  and  transepts,  and  could  almost  fancy  we  heard 
the  chanting  of  the  old  monks  echoing  from  the 
remnants  of  the  vaulted  roof.  The  rest  of  the  mon- 
astery is  a  mass  of  shapeless  ruins,  but  we  could  trace 
the  different  parts  of  the  building,  now  venerably  gray 
and  mantled  with  ivy,  and  it  was  delightful  to  linger 
among  these  mouldering  records  of  by-gone  days, — 
more  beautiful,  perhaps,  in  decay  and  desolation  than 
in  the  pomp  and  pride  of  monastic  power.  Noble 
elms  and  other  trees  of  larger  size  are  growing  in  the 
quadrangle,  the  refectory,  and  other  parts  of  the  build- 
ing south  of  the  cloister,  and  their  drooping  branches 
overhang  the  broken  arches  and  fallen  columns  of 
what  was  formerly  the  abbot's  lordly  home.  A  lawn 
of  the  brightest  green  slopes  gradually  from  the  ruins 
to  the  river  Aire,  which  glides  gently  through  fertile 
meadows,  and  beyond  the  Abbey  the  ground  rises 
into  high  and  extensive  woodland.  The  afternoon 
was  bright  and  beautiful,  and  the  glow  over  the  land- 
scape from  the  western  sky  reminded  me  of  some  pe- 


RUSTIC  BRIDEGROOMS. 


57 


culiarly  lovely  sunsets  in  our  own  dear  country.  Kirk- 
stall  Abbey  was  founded  in  the  twelfth  century  by  a 
body  of  Cistercian  monks,  and  is  considered  the  third, 
if  not  the  second,  in  England  in  point  of  picturesque 
beauty.  Being  the  first  we  have  visited,  we  have 
probably  enjoyed  it  more  than  we  shall  any  other. 
The  little  inn  '  Hark-to-Rover'  close  by  was,  a  cen- 
tury ago,  the  haunt  of  highwaymen  and  poachers, 
and  the  Abbey  was  the  scene  of  the  tragical  event 
narrated  in  Southey's  poem,  'The  Maid  of  the  Inn.'" 

Invitations  from  other  valued  friends,  who  had  also 
been  pleasant  guests  of  the  party  in  America,  next 
took  them  to  Darlington  via  Leeds,  and  that  choicest 
bit  of  Northeastern  England,  Studley  Park  and 
Fountains  Abbey.  The  manufacturing  industries  of 
Leeds  and  its  associations  with  Wilberforce  and  Lord 
Brougham  alike  had  interest  for  them,  and  a  little 
incident  in  the  parish  church,  where  they  dropped  in 
while  waiting  for  a  train,  gave  a  glimpse  of  Yorkshire 
peasant-life  which  amused  them. 

"We  intended,"  writes  M.  A.,  "  only  to  look  at  the 
exterior  of  the  church,  but  the  beadle  beckoned  us 
in,  and  there  we  saw  four  couples  waiting  for  the  cu- 
rate to  marry  them.  He  came  directly,  and  we  saw 
them  all  joined  in  wedlock.  The  Yorkshire-men 
were  apparently  either  much  confused  or  excessively 
ignorant,  for  they  did  not  even  know  how  to  get  mar- 
ried, and  the  beadle  found  it  necessary  to  direct  them. 


58        MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

When  one  was  asked  if  he  took  Mary  Ann  to  be  his 
wedded  wife,  and  if  he  would  cherish,  love  her,  etc., 
he  remained  mute  till  the  beadle  told  him,  '  Say  "  I 
will";'  then  the  poor  man  recollected  himself,  and  to 
our  great  amusement  responded  most  heartily,  '  In- 
deed, I  will !'  We  suspected  that  the  worldly  goods 
with  which  the  newly-made  wives  were  endowed 
amounted  to  very  little." 

The  ride  to  Ripon  lay  through  a  characteristic 
English  landscape,  every  detail  of  which  was  full  of 
charm  and  interest.  The  rich  verdure  of  hill  and 
dale,  so  grateful  to  eyes  accustomed  to  the  frequent 
droughts  of  our  American  summers,  the  hedgerows, 
the  red-roofed  cottages  with  their  luxuriant  drapery 
of  creepers  and  roses,  made  a  flying  succession  of 
pictures  that  hold  their  own  in  one's  memory,  even 
beside  the  contrasting  grandeurs  of  Switzerland.  The 
American  party,  so  full  of  enjoyment  and  animation, 
were  themselves  evidently  part  of  the  pleasure,  and 
no  doubt  the  greatest  novelty  of  the  trip  to  two  Eng- 
lish friends — a  lady  and  gentleman — in  the  same 
compartment. 

"  They  told  us  they  were  staying  at  Harrogate, 
and  were  going  for  a  day's  pleasure  to  see  Fountains 
Abbey  and  the  Cathedral  at  Ripon.  Our  object 
being  the  same,  we  all  formed  one  party,  and  we 
found  them  very  pleasant  companions.  At  Ripon 


STUDLEY  PARK. 


59 


we  drove  to  the  Crown  and  Anchor,  a  good  speci- 
men of  a  comfortable  English  inn,  and  a  vener- 
able one  too.  We  entered  by  a  paved  side  court, 
and  were  shown  into  a  parlor  hung  with  paintings 
and  engravings.  Two  large  bow-windows  draped 
with  white  curtains  looked  out  upon  a  market-square, 
in  the  centre  of  which  is  the  stone  cross  erected  by 
Wm.  Aislabie,  who  represented  the  borough  for  sixty 
years.  Having  ordered  breakfast,  we  went  out  to 
look  at  the  cross,  purchase  some  prints,  etc.,  and 
on  our  return  found  a  substantial  meal,  breakfast  and 
dinner  combined, — excellent  coffee  and  cream,  cold 
fowl,  hot  bacon,  eggs,  sweetmeats,  muffins,  etc., — a 
true  English  bill  of  fare." 

Fortified  by  these  creature  comforts,  every  sense 
was  at  its  best  for  the  enjoyment  of  the  choicer 
feast  that  awaited  them.  A  drive  of  three  miles 
brought  them  to  Studley  Park. 

"  What  can  I  say  to  give  you  the  slightest  idea  of 
Studley,  with  its  magnificent  deer-park  of  four  hun- 
dred acres,  its  avenue  of  limes  a  mile  in  length,  its 
noble  beeches,  its  Norway  firs,  .  .  .  and  above  all  the 
view  of  the  Abbey  from  Anne  Boleyn's  Seat  ?  .  .  . 
Studley  Park  was  made  what  it  is  now  by  John 
Aislabie,  who  raised  himself  from  the  rank  of  a 
country  gentleman  to  be  Chancellor  of  the  Ex- 
chequer, and  his  son  spent  the  leisure  hours  of  a 
long  life  in  maintaining  and  extending  his  father's 


60        MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

improvements.  He  purchased  the  adjacent  land  with 
the  ruins  of  Fountains  Abbey,  and  the  two  estates 
united  form  a  combination  of  beauties  that  I  should 
think  cannot  be  surpassed  in  the  kingdom." 

Here  follows  a  detailed  description  of  the  walk 
which  led  them,  through  every  variety  of  natural 
beauty, — not  always  enhanced  by  art, — to  the  famous 
ruins.  These,  too,  are  enjoyed  to  the  full  and  care- 
fully described.  The  day  had  been  a  memorable 
one,  yet  Fountains,  with  all  the  loveliness  of  its 
accessories  and  surroundings,  does  not,  in  their  esti- 
mation, equal  that  first  fresh  impression  of  Kirkstall, 
where  nature,  untamed  by  antiquarian  "  restorers," 
had  taken  exclusive  possession, — not  only  draping 
the  walls,  but  arching  a  lofty  roof  with  beams  and 
tracery  of  her  own. 

Harrogate  with  its  many  attractions,  not  least 
among  them  Bolton  Priory,  was  within  easy  reach, 
but  time  was  limited  and  rest  imperative.  Late  in 
the  evening  they  were  glad  to  reach  Darlington, 
where  their  friend,  John  Pease,  was  waiting  with  his 
carriage  to  welcome  them  to  another  hospitable 
English  home, — to  a  series  of  homes  in  fact,  for, 
besides  John  Pease's  venerable  father,  Edward  Pease, 
many  relatives  of  the  large  Gurney  family  were  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  with  these  the  long  and 


YORK  MINSTER.  6 1 

intimate  friendship  with  Mrs.  J.  J.  Gurney  in  America 
had  already  established  a  bond  of  warm  interest.* 

Perhaps  these  intervals  in  the  crowded  weeks  of 
travel  and  sight-seeing  were  the  happiest  parts  of  their 
English  stay,  and  the  sisters,  always  eager  to  share 
their  pleasures  with  the  sympathetic  group  at  home, 
write  of  the  family-life  of  their  kind  entertainers,  and 
their  harmonious  relations  with  children,  neighbors, 
and  dependents,  with  a  vividness  of  enjoyment  that 
leaves  but  a  second  place  to  the  most  picturesque 
ruined  abbey  in  the  land.  Even  were  it  allowable, 
however,  to  lift  the  curtain  from  these  pleasant 
domestic  scenes,  the  limits  of  this  little  memoir 
would  allow  but  a  glance  at  them. 

At  York,  with  but  an  hour  to  give  to  the  great 
Minster,  they  rose  at  once  to  "the  height  of  its  great 
argument."  "  It  seemed  to  fill  our  sense  of  the 
glorious  and  beautiful  in  art.  We  wanted  our  minds 
to  expand  greatly  in  order  to  embrace,  comprehend, 
and  enjoy  fully  its  vastness  and  magnificence." 

Some  mental  effort  in  an  opposite  direction  must 
have  been  needed  for  the  microscopic  wonders  of 
Rodgers'  show-rooms  at  Sheffield,  where  they  next 
stopped  en  route  for  Chatsworth,  seeing  among  other 
marvels  of  cutlery  "  the  famous  penknife,  with  eigh- 

*  Mrs.  J.  J.  Gurney's  own  English  residence  was  in  Norfolk,  to 
which  they  paid  a  visit  a  few  days  later. 

6 


62       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

teen  hundred  and  fifty-one  blades,  and  twelve  pairs 
of  perfect  scissors,  all  together  weighing  only  half  a 
grain." 

A  charming  drive  in  an  open  barouche  from  Shef- 
field, under  a  lovely  English  sky  of  soft  clouds  and 
distant  gleams  of  sunshine,  took  them  to  the  sump- 
tuous palace  and  grounds  of  the  Duke  of  Devonshire. 

"  Once  among  the  Derbyshire  hills,  grandeur  took 
the  place  of  gentle  beauty ;  the  road  wound  over  and 
between  hills  sprinkled  with  large  patches  of  brown 
heather, — a  novel  sight  to  us.  We  travelled  for  miles 
through  the  hunting-grounds  of  the  Duke  of  Rut- 
land, breathing  a  pure,  invigorating  air,  and  enjoying 
the  wildness  of  the  landscape  and  the  excellence  of 
the  macadamized  road.  What  capital  roads  there  are 
here, — all  good !  .  .  .  The  bare,  rugged,  and  lofty 
hills  of  East  Moor  formed  the  best  possible  introduc- 
tion to  the  cultivated  beauty  of  Chatsworth." 

After  the  noble  scenery  of  the  Moor,  the  mere  pret- 
tiness  of  artificial  cascades,  etc.,  were  tame  indeed,  but 
the  great  deer-park,  the  flower-gardens,  the  orangery, 
etc.,  delighted  them,  and  when  they  reached  the 
grand  conservatory,  the  most  magnificent  in  Europe, 
under  its  mountain  of  glass,  then  "  admiration  knew 
no  bounds.  .  .  .  We  were  in  a  tropical  climate  of 
heat  and  moisture,  surrounded  by  palms,  bananas, 
Norfolk  Island  pines,  etc.,  all  growing  in  the  greatest 


CHA  TS  WOK  TH.  63 

luxuriance.  Such  is  the  variety,  number,  and  size  of 
these  plants,  the  immense  area  they  occupy,  the  ex- 
treme loftiness  and  airiness  of  the  glass  domes  which 
canopy  them  over,  admitting  such  an  effulgence  of 
light  on  all  sides,  from  the  horizon  to  the  zenith, 
that  the  visitor  might  fancy  himself  transplanted  to 
their  native  home  and  walking  through  an  Indian 
grove." 

Five  closely-written  pages  of  the  diary  are  given 
to  the  description  of  this  great  ducal  establishment, 
— its  magnificent  halls  and  staircases  adorned  with 
paintings  and  gems  of  art;  its  pictures,  carvings, 
statues,  etc., — until,  like  children  reading  the  "Arab- 
ian Nights,"  we  grow  so  familiar  with  splendors 
that  nothing  can  astonish  us. 

At  last,  at  the  end  of  a  long  gallery,  our  friends 
catch  a  glimpse  through  a  great  window  of  the 
castle  park,  with  its  soft  uplands,  noble  trees,  and 
herds  of  deer,  its  shaven  velvet  lawns,  its  winding 
walks,  its  fountains,  lakes,  and  groves;  and  turning 
their  eyes  away  from  all  the  interior  magnificence, 
they  rest  them  on  the  loveliness  without.  But  the 
guide  is  relentless  :  "  Ladies !  this  way  to  the  state 
apartments  !"  and  obediently  they  follow  on  through 
a  long  succession  of  fresh  splendors, — Gobelin  tap- 
estries, inlaid  floors,  carved  door-ways,  coronation- 
chairs,  and  full-length  portraits  of  sovereigns  in 


64 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


coronation-robes,  the  gifts  of  many  a  royal  and  im- 
perial guest.  Three  hours  spent  in  this  way  after 
an  early  morning  of  sight-seeing,  followed  by  a  long 
drive,  however  delightful,  was  indeed  "  pushing 
pleasure  to  the  verge  of  pain,"  and  they  still  had  to 
walk  to  the  inn  before  they  could  rest.  "At  the 
last,"  says  Miss  M.  A.,  "  it  was  pretty  dragging 
work,  but  after  a  good  dinner  we  felt  so  refreshed 
that  we  drove  at  once  to  Haddon  Hall,  where  we 
were  so  much  interested  that  I  heard  nothing  more 
said  about  fatigue  until  the  next  day." 

A  Western  millionnaire  might  perhaps  create  a 
second  Chatsworth,  but  Haddon  Hall  is  sui generis, 
and  can  never  be  cheapened  by  reproduction  or 
imitation.  The  Friendly  gray  bonnets  passed  under 
its  ancient  gateway  into  an  atmosphere  of  medieval 
romance,  in  which  weariness  was  forgotten.  "  It 
carried  us  back  four  hundred  years ;  .  .  .  everything 
about  it  impressed  us  most  deeply,"  from  the  chapel 
used  before  the  discovery  of  America,  with  its  Saxon 
pillars,  rude  pulpit,  and  chaplain's  room,  no  larger 
than  a  pantry,  but  crowded,  nevertheless,  with 
"  huge  medieval  boots,  pewter  dishes,  etc.,  large 
enough  for  giants,"  to  the  ghost-haunted  banquet- 
ing-hall  and  ball-room,  while  a  shadowy  Lady  Dor- 
othy Vernon  stole  down  the  little  stairway  and 
along  the  terrace  to  meet  her  lover  at  the  postern- 


HADDON  HALL.  65 

gate,  and  invest  even  the  name  of  a  modern  post- 
master-general with  romance. 

"  We  could  hardly  tear  ourselves  away,"  wrote 
Miss  Mary  Anna,  but  railway-trains  are  not  indul- 
gent, so  stopping  at  the  last  moment  to  look  at  the 
united  crests  of  the  houses  of  Vernon  and  Manners, 
a  boar's  head  and  peacock's  tail,  each  cut  in  box, 
they  drove  to  the  station,  with  many  backward 
glances  at  the  beautiful  dale  in  which  the  old  house 
stands,  and  memories  that  were  to  last  a  lifetime. 

The  party  would  gladly  have  lingered  among  the 
Derbyshire  hills.  "  Matlock  looked  so  inviting,  the 
air  was  so  reviving,  so  like  Berkshire,  that  we  could 
hardly  pass  on."  They  smiled  at  their  own  "  un- 
reasonableness in  wishing  to  lengthen  the  days, 
already  so  long  there  is  not  darkness  enough  to 
sleep  by,"  but  engagements  elsewhere  hurried  them 
away,  and  even  Warwick  and  Kenilworth  had  to  be 
deferred. 

July  $th  was  marked  by  memorable  visits  to 
Wyndcliffe,  Tintern  Abbey,  and  Chepstow  Castle. 
The  view  from  WyndclirTe,  nine  hundred  feet  above 
the  Wye,  delighted  them ;  Moss  Cottage,  at  its  foot, 
was  enchanting.  All  this  they  could  hardly  bear  to 
leave  even  for  Tintern  ;  but  once  at  the  old  Abbey, — 

"  We  wanted  nothing  more  for  this  day,  and  for 
6* 


66       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

more  than  two  hours  we  wandered  through  and  round 
and  over  these  exquisite  ruins,  thought  to  exceed 
in  beauty  all  others  either  in  England  or  Wales.  .  .  . 
There  was  neither  the  solemn,  almost  gloomy  ap- 
pearance of  antiquity  that  impressed  us  at  Kirkstall, 
nor  the  vastness  and  magnificence  of  Fountains 
Abbey,  but  a  soft  and  gentle  beauty  that  was  rest- 
ing to  the  spirit.  We  felt  as  if  we  could  never  weary 
of  its  surpassing  loveliness.  .  .  .  Among  the  tombs, 
with  rude  carvings  and  black-letter  inscriptions,  is 
one  carved  with  a  group  of  three  fishes,  the  letters 
of  the  Greek  word  t%0u<;  forming  the  initials  of  the 
most  important  of  the  titles  of  our  blessed  Lord : 

Irjfftws  XptffTO<;  Ssno  Tots,  Zca-rjp. 

"  Our  drive  back  to  Chepstow  was  delightful. 
M.  W.  enjoyed  the  views  from  her  elevated  seat  on 
the  front  box.  .  .  .  She  had  been  requested  to  look 
out  for  a  pleasant,  shady  spot  where  we  might  eat 
the  lunch  for  which  we  had  been  far  too  busy  at 
Tintern,  but  for  which  we  now  began  to  feel  a  keen 
appetite.  She  soon  found  a  nook  overhung  by  the 
branches  of  a  wide-spreading  tree,  and  there,  sur- 
rounded by  rural  beauty,  we  enjoyed  our  simple  repast. 
The  moisture  of  the  climate  produces  an  exuberance 
of  vegetation  that  we  have  never  seen  in  our  own 
country.  You  cannot  form  an  idea  of  the  luxuriance 
of  the  ivy ;  hill-sides  covered  with  it,  the  trunks  of 
the  forest-trees,  walls,  ruins,  all  covered  with  its  grace- 
ful, glossy  foliage.  .  .  .  And  the  daisies,  sprinkled  over 
the  soft  verdure  of  the  closely-shaven  lawns,  the  pink 


VISITS. 


67 


foxgloves  and    snapdragons,  and  other   delicate    or 
bright  pink  flowers,  may  we  never  forget  them." 

At  Liskeard,  in  Cornwall,  they  paid  a  pleasant 
visit  to  their  friend  John  Allen  and  his  family,  Bar- 
clay Fox,  brother  of  the  Caroline  Fox  whose  charm- 
ing memories  of  her  delightful  family  and  friends 
have  since  been  published,  coming  from  Falmouth 
to  meet  them.  While  here  they  were  taken  to  see  a 
copper-mine,  which  interested  them.  Some  of  the 
party  afterwards  took  a  walk  to  the  "  Cheesewring," 
a  natural  pile  of  rocks,  near  which  were  some  sup- 
posed Druidical  remains.  Among  them  a  group  of 
stones  formed  a  small  cave,  in  which  one  "  Daniel 
Gumms,  disgusted  with  the  taxes  required  in  towns, 
lived  with  his  wife  and  eleven  children."  The  walk 
proving  rather  long,  "  M.  W.  espied  a  donkey  driven 
by  two  boys,  who  readily  consented  to  give  us  a 
ride.  We  all  mounted  in  turn,  and  had  a  great  deal 
of  amusement.  The  boys,  though  rough,  were  good- 
natured,  and  wonderfully  pleased  with  having  Amer- 
ican ladies  ride  on  their  pet  Isaac, — a  really  well- 
trained  and  good-tempered  donkey,  but  so  small 
that  our  feet  nearly  touched  the  ground.  He  was 
not  very  fleet,  and  one  of  the  boys  led  him  while 
the  other  applied  the  lash.  Mary  was  so  delighted 
that  she  wrote  the  next  day  to  her  father  for  per- 


68       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

mission  to  take  home  a  donkey  for  the  use  of  her 
little  sisters.  These  animals  are  very  cheap  in  Corn- 
wall, the  price  varying  from  two  shillings  and  six- 
pence to  fifteen  shillings.  Our  new  acquaintances 
gave  but  half  a  crown  for  Isaac." 

On  July  Qth  they  left  Plymouth  for  London,  and 
from  the  Paddington  Station  went  direct  to  Totten- 
ham to  spend  a  few  days  with  their  friends,  J.  and 
R.  Forster.  "Their  sister  Anne,"  writes  M.  A.  L, 
"  my  correspondent  for  years,  though  until  now  per- 
sonally unknown  to  me,  came  to  us  glowing  with 
affection  and  kindness.  She  was  lovely  in  appear- 
ance." Wm.  E.  Forster,  M.P.,  since  so  conspicuous  a 
figure  in  English  politics  and  philanthropy,  with  his 
lovely  wife  and  her  sister,  daughters  of  the  late  Dr. 
Arnold,  also  arrived  during  their  stay,  and  added  to 
its  interest. 

"After  breakfast  on  the  I2th  our  kind  friend  J. 
Forster  accompanied  us  back  to  London,  and  took 
us  to  Wm.  Hughes's,  where  we  were  to  receive 
by  appointment  a  call  from  Samuel  Gurney.  His 
noble  bearing  and  benevolent  countenance  were  very 
striking.  He  met  us  most  kindly,  with  almost  a 
paternal  welcome,  and  invited  us  to  dine  with  him 
next  day  in  company  with  the  Chevalier  Bunsen ;  but 
a  later  day  suiting  our  plans  better,  he  permitted  us 
to  choose  our  own  time  for  visiting  him.  .  .  .  Our 


WINDSOR  AND    THE   QUEEN.  69 

next  business  was  to  go  to  the  banker's,  and  to  decide 
about  our  courier.  We  had  the  choice  of  two,  Joseph 
Salerno  and  Maurice  Breitschmidt,  and  the  latter 
being  prepossessing  in  appearance  and  strongly  rec- 
ommended by  Alfred  Backhouse,  who,  in  fact,  had 
secured  his  services  for  us,  A.  M.  K.  decided  to 
take  him. 

"  yth  nw.  \2th. — This  day  was  to  be  given  to  Wind- 
sor. We  had  no  expectation  of  seeing  the  Queen, 
though  we  much  desired  a  sight  of  her  Majesty, 
whom  we  hear  everywhere  spoken  of  as  a  good,  pru- 
dent mother,  as  well  as  an  excellent  sovereign.  Many 
of  her  own  subjects  who  live  in  London  have  never 
seen  her,  but  we  were  fortunate.  On  arriving  at  the 
Windsor  Station  we  noticed  the  red  flag,  which  indi- 
cates her  presence,  floating  from  the  castle,  and  found 
two  royal  cars  waiting  to  convey  her  to  London.  We 
had  a  good  opportunity  of  inspecting  them.  They 
were  elegant,  but  not  gorgeous,  of  a  dark  garnet 
color,  and  lined  with  rich  brocade.  Bouquets  of 
flowers  were  on  the  centre-tables.  Being  told  that  if 
we  would  wait  twenty  minutes  we  should  see  the 
Queen,  we  embraced  the  opportunity.  She  had  given 
orders  to  be  strictly  incognita ;  but  a  few  like  our- 
selves had  heard  that  she  was  coming  and  waited 
with  us,  as  near  as  possible  to  the  door  of  the  station- 
house.  Punctually  at  the  hour  the  gates  of  the  park 
flew  open  and  two  barouches  dashed  forward,  each 
drawn  by  four  white  horses,  each  pair  of  which  was 
driven  by  a  postilion ;  two  Lords  or  Honorables  at- 
tended on  horseback.  The  Queen  and  a  lady-in- 


70       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

waiting  occupied  the  first  carriage,  and  the  Prince  of 
Wales  and  his  tutor  the  other.  They  alighted  near 
where  we  were  standing,  and  we  had  a  capital  view 
of  the  Queen.  She  wore  a  thin  white  dress,  with  a 
white  crape  bonnet  and  blue  silk  shawl.  Her  face 
expressed  amiability  and  good  sense.  As  the  ba- 
rouches crossed  the  road  a  poor  Italian  was  passing, 
carrying  on  his  head  a  collection  of  bronzed  statu- 
ettes. The  Prince  took  a  fancy  to  them  and  spoke 
to  his  mother,  who  ordered  the  man  to  be  called. 
The  Prince  selected  four  of  the  figures,  for  which  the 
Queen  paid  the  Italian  a  sovereign — more  than  double 
the  price  he  asked — and  presented  him  with  a  rose. 
He  was  of  course  highly  delighted,  and  put  the  rose 
in  the  front  of  his  cap,  where  we  saw  it  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  day. 

"  The  Queen  and  her  suite  then  went  on  to  Lon- 
don, the  Prince  to  drive,  and  we,  after  taking  a  lunch, 
set  out  to  see  the  Castle,  which  has  been  a  royal  resi- 
dence for  seven  hundred  and  fifty  years." 

A  few  days  later  they  left  London  for  Norwich,  a 
place  of  peculiar  interest  to  them,  not  only  as  the 
home  for  many  years  of  their  dear  and  valued  friend, 
Mrs.  J.  J.  Gurney,  but  from  its  association  with  her 
sister-in-law,  Mrs.  Fry,  and  many  other  gifted  and 
interesting  members  of  the  Gurney  family.  The 
sisters  were  already  familiar  with  the  aspect  of  Earl- 
ham  and  its  various  neighboring  homes  through  the 
spirited  drawings  of  Mrs.  Cunningham  (nee  Richenda 


MRS.   OP  IE.  yi 

Gurney),  and  every  detail  had  a  charm  for  them.  The 
venerable  homestead  itself  was  full  of  family  relics, 
many  of  which  they  had  heard  of,  and  almost  every 
nook  and  corner  had  its  association  with  some  revered 
and  cherished  name.  Many  of  the  servants  at  the 
time  of  the  American  Mrs.  Gurney 's  residence  were 
still  in  the  service  of  the  family,  and  their  eager  in- 
quiries after  their  old  mistress  and  respectful  mes- 
sages of  "  duty"  and  affection  as  they  pointed  out 
her  favorite  haunts,  were  not  forgotten  in  the  long 
letter  written  to  her  by  the  sisters  before  they  left  the 
familiar  ground. 

One  of  the  incidents  related  in  this  letter  is  a  call 
on  Mrs.  Opie,  a  name  familiar  to  the  literary  world 
of  the  last  generation. 

"  Wm.  Forster  had  kindly  apprised  Amelia  Opie 
of  our  intention  to  call.  She  is  so  lame  that  she  is 
obliged  to  sit  mostly  on  a  couch,  but  she  is  the  most 
queenly-looking  elderly  person  I  ever  saw." 

On  returning  to  London  they  paid  a  visit,  already 
arranged,  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Gurney. 

"  S.  and  I  drove  to  Plaistow  Meeting,  where  we 
found  our  friend  and  his  family  waiting  for  us.  They 
took  us  directly  into  the  meeting-house,  where  Sam- 
uel Gurney  and  his  wife  sat  at  the  head  of  the  gal- 
lery, side  by  side.  It  was  interesting  to  remember 


72        MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

that  in  this  very  house  the  sweet  voice  of  his  sister, 
Elizabeth  Fry,  had  often  arisen  in  prayer  and  praise. 
.  .  .  After  meeting  we  drove  with  them  to  their  de- 
lightful home,  Ham  House,  and  were  introduced  to 
their  eldest  daughter,  Sarah  Gurney,  and  her  sister, 
Elizabeth  de  Bunsen,*  with  her  lovely  group  of  chil- 
dren. .  .  .  S.  G.  then  proposed  a  walk,  and  took  us 
through  his  beautiful  grounds  to  Upton  Lane,  the 
last  earthly  home  of  Elizabeth  Fry." 

Here,  as  at  so  many  other  rioteworthy  places  in 
the  course  of  their  English  trip,  the  weather  was  per- 
fect. Miss  M.  A.  speaks  especially  of  the  beauty  of 
the  late  afternoon  upon  the  lawn  and  of  the  early 
morning,  as  they  looked  out  of  their  chamber  window 
and  saw  their  host,  a  man  of  noble  and  distinguished 
bearing,  walking  about  his  grounds  leaning  upon  the 
arm  of  his  son.  Everything  combined  to  make  this 
little  visit  to  Ham  House  an  especial  pleasure.  After 
breakfast,  June  i8th,  Mr.  Gurney  drove  them  back  to 
London,  where  they  were  that  day  to  have  admis- 
sion, through  his  influence,  to  the  houses  of  Parlia- 
ment, then  in  session. 

"  At  twelve  o'clock  our  whole  party  repaired  to 
Westminster  Hall,  where  we  were  met  by  James  Bell, 


*  Ernest  de  Bunsen,  a  son  of  the  Chevalier  B.,  had  married  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  S.  Gurney. 


HOUSES  OF  PARLIAMENT. 


73 


M.P.,  who  very  politely  attended  us.  In  passing 
from  hall  to  hall  we  saw  a  great  many  of  the  members 
and  their  friends,  in  small  groups,  engaged  in  earnest 
conversation.  We  were  taken  first  into  the  gallery 
overlooking  the  room  occupied  by  the  House  of 
Commons,  the  walls  of  which  are  lined  with  oak, 
richly  carved ;  the  windows  are  of  stained  glass. 
But  the  gallery  for  visitors  is  very  small  and  screened 
by  a  lattice,  which  interfered  with  our  hearing  and  see- 
ing. The  Speaker  in  his  peculiar  dress  and  wig;  the 
messenger  from  the  Lords  in  his  costume,  bowing 
deferentially  to  the  Commons,  and  after  delivering 
his  message  walking  backwards,  bowing,  until  he 
reached  the  door  ;  and  the  perfect  freedom  of  speech 
under  this  monarchical  government,  surprised  us  not 
a  little.  The  subject  of  the  debate  was  quite  inter- 
esting. John  Bright  was  one  of  the  speakers,  and  if 
time  had  permitted  we  could  have  listened  to  the 
proceedings  for  hours.  ...  In  threading  our  way  to 
the  House  of  Lords  through  halls  and  passages,  the 
mention  of  Lord  Augustus  Clifford's  name  opened 
every  door  to  us  instantly,  until  we  found  ourselves 
in  the  presence  of  the  nobles  of  the  land.  The  Earl 
of  Aberdeen,  the  Duke  of  Buccleuch,  the  Duke  of 
Argyle,  and  Lord  Monteagle  took  part  in  the  dis- 
cussion, but  there  were  many  in  both  Houses  who 
were  evidently  not  listening.  It  is  said  they  prefer 
reading  the  accounts  of  the  debates  in  the  morning 
papers.  The  House  of  Lords  is  furnished  and  dec- 
orated in  a  most  gorgeous  style,  with  richly  gilt 
mouldings,  emblazoning  of  arms,  paintings,  and 

7 


74 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


stained-glass  windows.  The  House  of  Commons  is 
more  plainly  furnished,  but  we  thought  it  more 
beautiful. 

"  The  evening  was  spent  at  Mme.  Tussaud's.  Ex- 
hibitions of  this  kind  we  have  never  had  a  desire  to 
see,  but  this  one  is  well  worthy  of  a  visit,  being  in- 
forming as  well  as  entertaining,  and  faithfully  repre- 
senting many  distinguished  persons.  The  dresses 
had  many  of  them  been  worn  by  the  individuals 
themselves.  Among  royal  personages  were  Henry 
VIII.  and  his  six  wives,  Queen  Victoria,  Prince 
Albert,  and  their  children,  the  present  Emperor  and 
Empress  of  France,  Queens  Mary  and  Elizabeth,  and 
Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  the  Emperors  of  Russia  and 
Austria,  Cardinal  Wolsey,  Oliver  Cromwell,  Napo- 
leon, etc.  Wm.  Cobbett,  sitting  with  a  gold  snuff- 
box in  one  hand,  was  so  very  life-like  that  I  was 
quite  deceived,  and  asked  his  pardon  for  treading  on 
his  toes.  We  became  at  last  quite  puzzled  in  walk- 
ing among  the  figures  and  the  visitors,  to  know 
which  were  the  true  and  which  the  false." 

'  A  visit  to  Hampton  Court  occupied  part  of  the 
last  day  in  London. 

"We  had  expected  the  other  members  of  our  party 
to  join  us  at  Hampton  Court,  but  they  found  too 
much  to  be  done  on  this  last  day  in  England,  and 
sent  in  their  stead  our  newly-engaged  courier." 

The  sisters  spent  a  long  afternoon  at  the  old  pal- 


HAMPTON  COURT. 


75 


ace,  inspecting  it  in  every  part,  and  recording  in  the 
home  journal  not  only  their  impressions  of  its  archi- 
tecture, within  and  without,  its  paintings,  its  old 
curiosities,  its  stiff,  yet  stately  grounds,  labyrinth, 
etc.,  but  a  summary  of  its  eventful  history. 

"  We  were  glad  of  our  courier's  protection  while  re- 
turning in  the  steamboat,"  Miss  M.  A.  continues,  "and 
had  a  charming  sail  down  the  Thames  in  the  long 
rosy  twilight,  past  Richmond,  Kew,  Batfersea,  Vaux- 
hall,  Westminster,"  etc.,  every  name  historic  and 
picturesque.  They  found  entertainment  in  the  sight 
of  the  middle-class  British  public  taking  its  diversion 
in  the  throng  of  pleasure-boats,  and  especially  enjoyed 
the  great  number  of  stately  swans,  one  hundred  at 
one  point,  sailing  leisurely  and  gracefully  down  the 
stream. 


"  2Qth. — It  was  with  no  slight  satisfaction  to  us 
all  that  trunks,  boxes,  bundles  of  shawls,  and  all 
the  et  caetera  were  handed  over  to  the  care  of  our 
courier,  Maurice  Breitschmidt,  and  that  without  any 
thought  for  these  most  important  needfuls  we  could 
give  ourselves  up  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  present 
scene  and  pleasurable  anticipations  of  the  future.  At 
the  station  we  added  to  our  stock  of  guide-books, 
and  were  soon  whirled  away  from  London  in  the 
express-train  for  Dover,  passing  through  a  beautifully  - 
cultivated  country,  and  then  over  the  Downs,  cropped 


76 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


by  many  a  flock  of  nibbling  sheep.  We  are  delighted 
with  the  sheep  in  England,  they  are  so  white.  It  is 
not  a  poetical  license  to  say  they  '  whiten  all  the 
plain.'  They  do. 

"  At  Dover  there  was  only  time  to  glance  at  its 
white  cliffs,  get  a  piece  of  flint  imbedded  in  chalk, 
and  catch  a  distant  view  of  the  Castle.  At  eleven  we 
hurried  on  board  the  steamer  that  was  to  convey  us 
to  '  La  Belle  France.'  True,  we  were  leaving  more 
beautiful  England,  and  many  loved  and  truly  kind 
friends,  but  with  a  vision  of  the  Alps  before  us,  could 
we  do  otherwise  than  cry  Excelsior? 

"  \Yith  this  day  of  bright  sunshine,  as  bright  as  in 
America,  ends  the  first  portion  of  our  tour." 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE    RHINE   AND   SWITZERLAND. 

"  Dover,  Calais,  Ghent,  Jth  mo.  2Oth,  1853." — So  be- 
gins the  first  letter  to  mother  and  aunt  on  foreign  soil 
outlining  the  first  day  of  travel.  The  Channel  passage 
had  been  exceptionally  smooth. 

"  I  enjoyed  it  greatly.  Even  dear  S.  suffered  very 
little.  The  sea-breeze  was  delightful  and  so  exhila- 
rating! .  .  .  When  we  stepped  on  shore  how  strange 
everything  looked !  We  went  first  to  the  custom- 
house, but  as  we  were  going  immediately  to  Belgium, 
it  was  not  necessary  to  examine  our  trunks.  Breit- 
schmidt  knows  everything  that  is  to  be  done,  and 
how  to  do  it.  You  cannot  think  how  delightful  it  is 
to  travel  with  such  a  person. 

"  Calais,  with  its  wall,  and  odd  houses,  and  women 
wearing  caps  in  the  street  without  bonnets,  does  look 
very  different  from  America  or  England.  At  the 
hotel  beauty  and  taste  were  everywhere  visible  in  the 
most  minute  arrangements.  Its  neat  court-yard  was 
beautiful  with  flowers,  and  from  it  we  passed  into  a 
large  and  quite  elegant  garden. 

"  On  the  way  to  Ghent  by  rail  we  found  the  coun- 
try as  different  from  what  we  had  seen  as  Calais  was 

7*  77 


78       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

unlike  the  towns.  No  fences  as  in  America;  no 
hedges  as  in  England,  except  very  rarely,  to  adorn 
villas,  etc. ;  no  umbrageous  trees  almost  sweeping 
the  ground  with  their  long  pendent  branches,  but 
quite  sparse,  and  arranged  in  long  lines  as  stiff  as 
possible, — never  a  tree  or  clump  of  trees  in  a  field. 
We  arrived  at  Ghent,  or  Gand,  at  eight  o'clock,  and 
went  to  a  capital  hotel,  facing  a  public  square,  '  La 
Place  d'Armes,'  upon  which  the  balcony  of  our  par- 
lor opened. 

"  'jth  mo.  2\st. — This  was  a  grand  fete  day  in  Bel- 
gium, the  twenty-second  anniversary  of  the  accession 
of  Leopold.  Saw  a  procession  of  soldiers  on  their 
way  to  the  Cathedral,  where  there  is  to  be  a  Te 
Deum  at  1 1  A.M.  It  was  a  fine  thing  for  us  to  see 
the  Cathedral  prepared  for  this  great  occasion.  The 
numerous  chapels,  with  their  gates  of  brass-work, 
statues,  paintings,  etc.,  delighted  us.  One  of  the 
most  famous  of  the  latter  is  Van  Eyk's  Adoration 
of  the  Lamb,  containing  more  than  three  hundred 
heads,  all  finished  with  miniature  accuracy;  but  we 
thought  it  more  curious  than  beautiful.  Its  coloring 
is  superb,  as  fresh  and  bright  as  if  finished  yesterday, 
though  four  hundred  years  old.  There  were  several 
other  fine  paintings  which  even  our  unpractised  eyes 
appreciated.  '  Ah,'  we  exclaimed,  '  we  never  saw 
paintings  till  now !'  And  indeed  the  whole  scene  of 
the  high  altar,  the  exquisite  carved  wood-work,  the 
burning  candles,  etc.,  was  so  interesting  that  we  did 
wish  for  a  whole  day  in  Ghent.  The  commissionaire 
engaged  by  Breitschmidt  was  so  expeditious,  how- 


ANTWERP  AND  BRUSSELS. 


79 


ever,  that  we  had  time  after  leaving  the  chapels — at 
which  we  cast  many  longing,  lingering  looks  behind 
— to  drive  round  the  city,  market-places,  etc. 

********* 

"  As  we  crossed  the  Scheldt  in  the  steamboat,  we 
had  a  good  view  of  Antwerp ;  its  Cathedral  was  in 
full  sight,  and  saluted  our  ears  with  its  silvery  chime 
of  eighty-five  bells.  They  ring  every  quarter  of  an 
hour,  and  the  music  is  very  pleasing,  though  I 
thought  it  had  not  quite  the  merry,  joyous  burst  of 
the  York  Minster  peal,  which  welcomed  us  to  York 
on  the  anniversary  of  Victoria's  coronation :  but  the 
churches  we  have  already  visited  on  the  Continent 
surpass  in  gorgeousness  everything  we  have  pre- 
viously seen.  To-day  being  a  holiday  throughout 
Belgium,  great  numbers  of  the  people  both  in  Ghent 
and  Antwerp  were  in  the  streets  and  squares,  and 
they  seem  as  much  amused  with  our  appearance  as 
we  are  with  theirs.  All  the  women  wear  caps,  often 
with  high  crowns  and  long  lappets, — many  of  the 
working-people  wooden  shoes.  What  a  clatter  they 
made ! 

********* 

"  The  situation  of  our  hotel  at  Brussels  was  very 
fine.  Our  parlor  balcony  overlooked  the  Place  Roy- 
ale,  with  a  fine  statue  of  Godfrey  of  Bouillon.  We 
hesitated  whether  to  devote  the  next  day  to  the 
field  of  Waterloo  or  to  Brussels.  The  city  had  the 
unanimous  choice  of  our  Quaker  party,  though  if  it 
had  not  required  a  drive  of  eight  hours,  we  should 
have  been  much  interested  in  seeing  the  battle-field. 


8o       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

We  had  driven  round  the  evening  before  to  see  the 
illumination  in  honor  of  the  king,  but  we  now  took 
a  barouche  for  the  whole  day,  and  saw  Brussels  to 
our  full  satisfaction  ;  .  .  .  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  with  its 
beautiful  tower  of  Gothic  open-work,  three  hundred 
and  sixty-four  feet  high,  .  .  .  and  the  church  of  Ste. 
Gudule,  with  its  stained-glass  windows,  considered 
the  finest  in  Europe.  The  colors  are  magnificent. 
********* 

"  Next  morning  I  awaked  at  half-past  three,  and 
looked  out  on  the  Place  Royale,  where  gaslights 
were  burning  brightly  around  the  statue  of  Godfrey 
de  Bouillon, — and  sentinels  pacing.  At  4  A.M.  the 
beautiful  morning  light  and  sound  of  many  feet  pass- 
ing again  drew  me  to  the  window,  and  I  was  much 
amused  to  see  the  women  in  short,  bright-colored 
skirts  and  short  gowns  going  to  market  with  baskets 
of  vegetables  on  their  heads;  some  men  with  piles 
of  cabbages  ten  feet  high,  carried  in  the  same  way ; 
milk-women,  each  with  her  bright  brass  pot-au-lait, 
often  not  touched  by  her  hands  ;  others  with  milk 
and  vegetables  in  their  little  carts  drawn  by  one 
or  two  dogs.  It  was  all  very  novel  and  interest- 
ing. .  .  . 

"The  ride  past  Liege  was  beautiful  as  we  descended 
the  valley  of  the  Meuse.  .  .  .  How  many  places  there 
are  where  it  would  be  pleasant  to  rest  a  few  days ! 
But  on,  on  to  the  Rhine  and  La  Suisse  !  We  did, 
however,  stop  two  hours  at  Aix,  and  saw  a  great 
deal  in  that  time ;  .  .  .  above  all,  an  apparently  in- 
terminable procession  of  pilgrims  on  their  way  to 


COLOGNE.  g  I 

the  Cathedral  to  see  the  Great  Relics,  said  to  have 
been  given  to  Charlemagne  by  the  Patriarch  of 
Jerusalem  and  Haroun-al-Raschid.  The  double 
column  was  kept  in  place  by  soldiers  on  horseback. 
Four  francs  and  a  little  tact  on  the  part  of  our  driver 
introduced  us  to  the  sacristan,  who  took  us  by  a  pri- 
vate door  into  the  church,  where  we  had  a  very  good 
view  both  of  the  relics  and  the  pilgrims.  We  saw 
also  Charlemagne's  throne  and  tomb. 

"  Cologne,  JMO.  2^f/i,  1853. — We  arrived  here  last 
evening,  driving  through  a  massive  gateway  (Co- 
logne is  strongly  fortified).  .  .  .  We  have  a  delight- 
ful, large  parlor,  with  windows  looking  directly  upon 
the  Rhine,  and  its  bridge  of  boats  fourteen  hundred 
feet  long,  connecting  Cologne  with  Deutz.  Very 
beautiful  did  the  Rhine  look  in  the  evening,  reflect- 
ing the  lights  in  the  vessels  and  on  the  opposite 
shore,  and  in  a  different  direction  the  broad  light 
of  the  full  moon.  It  was  a  grand  sight,  such  as  the 
memory  clings  to  through  life. 

"  This  morning  we  went  to  the  far-famed  Cathedral 
and  heard  High  Mass  (a  ceremony  we  never  before 
had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  performed).  I  regretted 
I  had  not  read  an  account  of  it,  or  had  it  explained 
to  me,  for  I  could  not  make  out  what  the  priests 
were  doing  with  their  bowing  and  genuflexions. 
There  was  more  solemnity  and  devotion  apparent 
in  their  manner  than  I  had  expected  to  see;  but 
whatever  good  the  worship  may  have  done  to  them, 
I  did  not  see  how  it  was  to  benefit  the  people. 
There  were  many  strangers  present,  but  they  be- 


82        MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

haved  with  great  propriety.  I  saw  no  one  smile  or 
talk.  The  Archbishop  was  dressed  in  a  violet-col- 
ored robe,  and  cap  of  the  same  color.  .  .  .  Thirty  or 
forty  priests  sat  on  each  side  of  the  altar,  chanting 
responses,  etc.  One  of  these,  who  was  quite  near 
me,  had  a  very  interesting  countenance.  It  ex- 
pressed occasionally  anguish  of  spirit,  and  I  fancied 
his  heart  .  .  .  aspired,  like  Luther's,  after  something 
more  soul-satisfying.  As  soon  as  mass  was  over 
we  went  home  quietly  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 

"25///. — After  breakfast  we  went  shopping,  for  real 
cologne,  etc.,  then  again  to  the  Cathedral.  I  cannot 
convey  any  idea  of  the  exquisite  delight  it  gave  me 
to  look  up  at  the  gray  arches  and  vaulted  roof.  The 
choir  is  greatly  admired,  but  it  did  not  fill  me  with 
the  same  awe  and  delight  as  the  rest  of  the  church. 
I  enjoyed  the  latter  so  much  that  when  the  time 
came  to  visit  other  curiosities  of  Cologne,  I  begged 
the  rest  of  the  party  to  leave  me  there,  preferring 
that  one  great  object  should  be  thoroughly  impressed 
on  my  mind  rather  than  to  have  a  mere  glimpse  of 
several.  I  enjoyed  highly  five  painted  windows,  and 
a  very  ancient  painting  in  distemper  representing  the 
Adoration  of  the  Magi.  I  saw  the  slab  in  the  pave- 
ment under  which  the  heart  of  Marie  de  Medici  lies 
buried,  .  .  .  and  walked  up  and  down  the  aisles  and 
into  the  different  chapels,  sometimes  sitting  down  to 
contemplate  the  various  groups  around  me,  some  of 
them  strangers  attracted  hither  by  curiosity,  but 
mostly  of  the  people,  in  their  usual  garb,  often  with 
a  basket  on  their  arm,  as  if  they  had  come  from  their 


THE  DRACHENFELS.  83 

work  to  their  devotions.  They  kneeled  in  silence, 
some  before  one  shrine,  some  before  another,  and 
after  a  short  time  walked  quietly  away.  I  was  much 
affected  by  seeing  numbers  of  women  at  different 
times  come  in  and  kneel  before  an  image  of  the  Vir- 
gin and  Child,  under  which  was  written,  '  The  Con- 
soler of  the  Afflicted.'  There  were  more  worshippers 
at  this  shrine  than  at  any  other,  and  though  I  knew 
that  Mary  could  not  answer  their  prayers,  I  did  not 
doubt  that  He  who  knoweth  the  secrets  of  all  hearts, 
who  is  a  God  of  great  mercy  and  full  of  pity,  listens 
to  these  poor  creatures  in  their  low  estate,  judges  of 
their  sincerity,  and  comforts  them  in  their  distresses. 
There  was  also  another  exceedingly  old  image  of  our 
Saviour,  carved  out  of  wood,  that  seemed  to  be  in 
great  repute.  .  .  . 

"We  left  Cologne  at  1.30  P.M.,  glad  to  get  away 
from  its  disagreeable  odors,  which  still  warrant  the 
lines  of  Coleridge,  though  it  is  said  the  city  is  much 
cleaner  than  formerly.  The  scenery  of  the  Rhine  is 
insignificant  until  we  reach  Bonn  ;  then  the  beautiful 
cluster  of  mountains  called  the  Siebengebirge  rose 
before  our  view.  As  we  wished  to  ascend  the  Dra- 
chenfels,  our  courier  advised  us  to  go  on  to  K6- 
nigswinter,  from  which  the  ascent  is  easily  made. 
Immediately  on  arriving  at  the  hotel  we  made  ar- 
rangements to  ascend,  and  a  very  amusing,  merry 
ride  we  had, — my  first  donkey-ride.  It  was  not  at 
all  fatiguing.  We  alighted  on  a  level  at  the  foot  of 
the  castle.  ...  I  shall  not  soon  forget  the  rich  col- 
oring of  the  valley  and  hill-slopes,  nor  the  grand 


84        MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

dark  clouds  that  rested  on  the  neighboring  mountain- 
tops  ;  nor  the  party  from  Berlin,  who  sang  one  of  their 
national  songs  with  great  enthusiasm  ;  our  merry  de- 
scent on  the  donkeys ;  the  flowers  the  peasants  gath- 
ered for  us  from  the  roadside,  and  our  escape  from 
the  rain,  which  began  to  fall  heavily  as  soon  as  we 
reached  the  court-yard  on  our  return.  The  mountain 
air  and  the  exercise  we  had  taken  gave  additional 
zest  to  the  capital  supper  Breitschmidt  had  ordered 
for  us.  The  view  from  our  windows  at  early  dawn 
was  exquisite.  At  3^  A.M.  a  party  passed  on  the 
Pont  volant  singing  a  lay  of  the  Rhine;  .  .  .  then 
came  the  market-women.  But  oh!  the  beautiful 
mountains !  the  light  every  moment  bringing  into 
view  new  objects  of  beauty.  .  .  . 

"  Coblcntz,  frit  mo.  26th. — Our  rooms  here  look  out 
directly  not  only  upon  the  Rhine  but  the  stupendous 
frowning  fortress  of  Ehrenbreitstein,  the  strongest  in 
Germany.  It  has  been  rebuilt  by  the  Prussians,  and 
its  magazines  will  hold  provisions  for  eight  thousand 
men  for  ten  years.  .  .  .  Above  Coblentz  the  shores 
of  the  river  contract,  and  the  scenery  increases  in 
grandeur.  The  castles  succeeded  each  other  so 
quickly  that  it  was  difficult  to  dwell  upon  any  one 
as  long  as  we  wished.  .  .  .  The  Castle  of  Marksburg 
delighted  me.  .  .  .  The  Fortress  of  Rheinfels  is  the 
most  extensive  ruin  on  the  Rhine,  and  truly  mag- 
nificent in  its  appearance.  ...  At  St.  Goar,  as  the 
river  turned,  we  came  in  sight  of  one  of  its  finest 
points,  the  dark,  frowning  precipice  of  the  Lurley, 
then  quickly  to  the  charming  town  of  Oberwesel, 


FRANKPORT.  gc 

1 

with  its  many-turreted  walls,  lofty  round  '  Ox- 
tower/  and  beautiful  church, — Liebfrauenkirche.  .  .  . 
After  passing  the  ruins  of  Sonneck  the  castles  were 
still  more  crowded.  The  river  is  here  called  '  the 
castellated  Rhine,'  Falkenburg  and  Rheinstein  suc- 
ceeding each  other  immediately. 

"Frankfort,  "jtJi  nw.  2&t/i. —  .  .  .  When  we  arrived 
here  our  good  Breitschmidt,  who  had  gone  on  in  the 
morning  to  attend  to  various  matters,  met  us  with  our 
American  letters  in  his  pocket,  and  as  soon  as  we 
were  seated  in  our  carriages,  we  were  so  happy  in 
reading  them  that  for  a  time  we  were  quite  insensi- 
ble to  the  beauty  of  the  town  we  were  entering.  .  .  . 
The  beautiful  residences  of  the  rich  bankers  and  mer- 
chants, surrounded  by  gardens,  made  our  first  im- 
pressions of  Frankfort  delightful.  The  new  town 
is  magnificent,  and  the  old  town  most  curious  and 
interesting.  .  .  . 

"  2gth. — After  breakfast  we  drove  to  Bethman's 
Garden  to  see  Dannecker's  far-famed  statue  of  Ari- 
adne, and  to  a  beautiful  cemetery  outside  the  walls. 
One  part  was  appropriated  to  the  Jews,  and  we 
noticed  a  few  crosses  even  there.  We  were  delighted 
with  the  bas-reliefs  by  Thorwaldsen  in  the  tomb  of 
the  Bethman  family.  Returning  through  the  pic- 
turesque Eschenheim  gate,  with  its  venerable  tower 
of  the  fourteenth  century,  we  drove  to  a  small  open 
square,  in  which  is  a  very  fine  bronze  statue  of 
Goethe,  the  subjects  of  the  bas-reliefs  being  taken 
from  Goethe's  own  works.  I  saw  here  what  pleased 

8 


86       MEMOIR   OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

me  as  much  as  the  statue :  two  little  children  play- 
ing with  sand ;  the  little  boy,  about  four  years  old, 
making  a  garden,  in  which  he  had  planted  a  green 
tree,  while  the  little  girl  was  wheeling  sand  for  him. 
The  mothers  were  sitting  by,  knitting.  Then  we 
went  by  the  house  in  which  Goethe  lived ;  saw 
Luther's  house  in  the  Dom  Platz,  and  the  window 
looking  upon  the  market-place  from  which  he  used 
to  preach  to  the  people  ;  also  other  old  houses  in  the 
neighborhood,  especially  the  Romer,  in  the  ban- 
queting-hall  of  which  emperors  were  once  waited 
upon  by  kings  and  princes.  .  .  .  Rode  through  sev- 
eral streets  in  the  Jews'  quarter,  some  of  them  so  ex- 
tremely narrow  that  persons  in  the  opposite  houses 
might  almost  shake  hands ;  black,  dismal-looking 
they  were,  like  dens  for  thieves.  Some  of  these 
passages  looked  as  if  daylight  had  never  penetrated 
them.  Ventilation  must  be  impossible. 

"  We  saw  too  the  house  in  which  the  Rothschilds 
were  born.  The  old  mother,  who  persisted  in  re- 
maining in  it  to  the  last,  died  lately  at  a  very  great 
age.  Her  children  lived  in  princely  mansions,  two 
of  which  we  saw  in  our  drive  last  evening.  We  went 
to  the  bank  of  the  Rothschilds,  and  saw  two  of  the 
brothers,  Anselm  and  Charles,  the  former,  the  eldest 
of  the  family,  a  venerable-looking  man,  with  snow- 
white  hair.  At  the  Public  Library  we  were  shown  a 
Bible  of  the  first  edition  printed  by  Faust  at  Mentz. 
We  longed  to  examine  it  more  leisurely,  but  it  was 
almost  time  to  set  off  for  Heidelberg,  so  we  merely 
glanced  at  Luther's  huge  shoes,  etc.,  .  .  .  and,  though 


HEIDELBERG.  87 

surrounded  by  much  that  was  tempting,  ran  down- 
stairs, and  drove  swiftly  back  to  our  hotel,  where  we 
found  the  rest  of  our  party,  trunks,  etc.,  ready  to  de- 
part, and  our  courier  in  a  wonderful  way,  thinking 
we  should  be  left.  We  were  not,  however,  but  the 
baggage  was  charged  extra,  which  is  not  the  case 
when  it  is  at  the  station  fifteen  minutes  before  the 
time.  The  cars  were  differently  arranged  from  any 
we  had  yet  been  in.  The  division  in  which  we  sat 
was  front,  with  glass  windows  almost  all  around. 
This  was  particularly  agreeable,  as  the  country  be- 
tween Frankfort  and  Heidelberg  is  the  most  beau- 
tiful we  have  yet  passed  through  by  railroad.  The 
mountainous  district  called  the  Odenwald,  forming 
the  eastern  boundary  of  the  Rhine  valley,  its  hill- 
tops now  and  then  crowned  by  a  ruined  castle,  was 
on  our  left.  .  .  .  The  old  post-road,  the  '  Bergstrasse,' 
celebrated  for  its  beauty,  ran  near  us  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  way. 

"  Heidelberg,  jth  mo.  ^Qth. — After  breakfast  the 
donkeys  were  brought  to  the  door,  and  we  ascended 
the  hill  to  the  castle.  .  .  .  The  heavy  teeth  of  the 
portcullis  looked  terrific.  Over  a  stone  door-way, 
where  a  good  old  king  stood  frowning,  a  group  of  the 
loveliest  harebells  and  grasses  was  growing  luxu- 
riantly. We  sat  for  some  time  on  the  balcony  of 
Friedrichsban  enjoying  the  view  of  the  Neckar;  the 
town  of  Heidelberg  at  our  feet;  far  in  the  distance 
the  Rhine  dimly  seen.  .  .  .  We  visited  the  dungeons, 
the  famous  Tun,  the  ruined  and  desolate  garden,  .  .  . 
and  the  tower  which  the  French  undermined  and  tried 


88       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

to  blow  up;  but  so  strongly  was  it  built  that  instead 
of  crumbling  to  pieces  half  of  it  merely  slid  down 
from  its  place  in  a  solid  mass.  ...  A  beautiful  walk 
down  through  overhanging  trees  brought  us  again  to 
the  level  of  the  town.  .  .  . 

"After  dinner  we  left  for  Baden-Baden,  and  found 
delightful  apartments  reserved  for  us  at  the  Hotel  de 
1'Europe  through  Breitschmidt's  '  four  lines.'  Fifty 
persons  who  applied  for  rooms  this  very  day  had  to 
go  elsewhere. 

"Baden-Baden,  jth  mo.  $ist,  First  day. — We  are 
delightfully  situated,  and  though  in  a  town  where 
there  is  a  great  deal  of  gayety  and  dissipation,  we 
have  been  as  quiet  as  if  at  home,  out  of  reach  of  all 
noise  and  bustle.  Our  hotel  surpasses  any  we  have 
ever  seen, — large,  clean,  very  airy;  a  great  staircase  in 
the  centre  of  the  house,  lighted  by  a  fine  skylight ; 
plants  in  bloom  on  every  step.  Directly  under  our 
parlor  windows,  which  open  on  a  balcony,  is  a  beau- 
tiful little  garden ;  beyond  that  the  little  river  Oos, 
not  wider  than  one  of  our  canals,  but  flowing  rapidly 
over  a  rocky  bed,  clear  and  sparkling  like  a  New 
England  stream,  soothes  us  with  its  silvery  murmur. 
.  .  .  After  breakfast  Susy  and  myself  took  a  delight- 
ful, quiet  stroll ;  never  did  we  feel  more  the  sweet, 
calming  influences  of  nature.  .  .  .  Returning  to  our 
quiet  chamber,  we  had  a  comfortable  time  of  reading 
and  meditation,  and  remained  within-doors  until 
nearly  seven  in  the  evening,  when  we  went  on  the 
same  hill  in  front  of  the  hotel  where  we  had  walked 
in  the  morning.  We  gathered  a  variety  of  beautiful 


BADEN-BADEN. 


89 


wild-flowers,  and  at  almost  every  turn  in  the  path  a 
new  landscape  met  our  view.  We  had  a  real  climb 
in  the  woods  that  made  me  feel  taller  and  straighter 
than  I  had  done  for  many  a  day. 

"  8t/i  1110.  ist. — Baden-Baden  is  certainly  by  far  the 
most  beautiful  watering-place  I  have  ever  seen.  .  .  . 
With  a  few  minutes'  walk  we  may  be  in  the  depths  of 
dark  woods.  There  are  numerous  drives  in  every 
direction,  surpassing  even  those  of  our  favorite  Berk- 
shire. .  .  . 

"  In  the  evening  we  went  for  a  few  minutes  into 
the  Kursaal  and  looked  at  the  gamblers,  but  did  not 
see  much  excitement.  The  players  seemed  to  feel 
little  concern  as  the  rows  of  gold  and  silver  changed 
owners  every  moment.  It  was  difficult  to  realize  that 
they  were  not  simply  counters  in  the  hands  of  chil- 
dren. The  moment  after  '  Messieurs,  faites  le  jeu'  we 
heard  '  Le  jeu  est  fini.' 

"8t/i  mo.  2d. — At  %l/z  A.M.  we  set  off  for  Basle,  and 
had  not  the  weather  been  excessively  hot  the  journey 
would  have  been  delightful ;  as  it  was  we  much  en- 
joyed the  views  of  the  Rhine,  on  whose  banks  we 
were  travelling, — islands  in  the  river,  fine  woods,  and 
mountains  in  the  distance.  Four  miles  ""before  ar- 
riving at  Basle  we  were  transferred  to  an  omnibus, 
we  three  being  in  the  coupe ;  the  delicious  air  blow- 
ing fresh  from  the  mountains  was  quite  reviving. 
Entering  the  city  we  crossed  a  bridge,  which  gave 
us  a  very  fine  view  of  Basle,  the  Rhine  being  at 
this  point  curved  like  a  bow.  From  .our  parlor  bal- 
cony we  have  the  most  beautiful  view  up  and  down 

8* 


go       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

both  banks  of  the  river.  It  looks  noble  here ;  is 
of  a  bluer  tint  and  clearer  than  at  Cologne  or 
Coblentz.  .  .  . 

"At  ten  o'clock  we  left  Basle  for  Schaffhausen  in 
two  carriages, — we  three,  Susan,  Mary,  and  myself, 
feeling  very  cosey  in  one  of  them.  Our  road  lay 
altogether  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine.  .  .  .  We  no- 
ticed cows  and  horses  attached  to  the  same  plough, 
and  in  one  instance  a  woman  ploughing;  quite  as 
many  women  as  men  work  in  the  fields,  and  exces- 
sively sunburnt  they  look.  Many  of  them  indeed 
have  so  lost  every  trace  of  female  grace  and  beauty, 
that  they  are  to  be  distinguished  from  the  men  by 
their  dress  only.  Ploughs  and  other  agricultural  im- 
plements seem  clumsy.  .  .  .  The  people  are  very 
thrifty  and  industrious,  turning  every  nook  of  land  to 
some  account,  and  cultivating  the  steepest  slopes.  .  .  . 
We  stopped  for  the  night  at  Waldshut,  a  small  walled 
town,  consisting  principally  of  one  street,  gates  and 
towers  at  each  end ;  houses  very  old  looking.  We 
took  our  tea  in  a  summer-house  on  the  very  brink  of 
the  Rhine,  commanding  a  fine  view  up  and  down  the 
river. 

"  8th  mo.  4//J.  Falls  of  the  Rhine. — We  were  so  for- 
tunate as  to  obtain  rooms  directly  in  front  of  the  Falls, 
and  close  by  them.  .  .  .  And  these  are  considered  the 
finest  falls  in  Europe!  but  far  inferior  in  grandeur  to 
Niagara,  and  less  picturesque  than  Trenton  Falls,  we 
must  admit  they  are.  .  .  .  We  crossed  in  a  row-boat 
to  the  opposite  shore,  and  climbed  up  a  high  bank  to 
the  Castle  of  Laufen,  situated  most  picturesquely, 


ASCENT  OF   THE  RIG  I.  9! 

directly  over  the  rushing  cataract;  .  .  .  then  descend- 
ing some  flights  of  steps  to  a  balcony,  we  stood  im- 
mediately by  the  side  of  the  dashing,  foaming,  roar- 
ing torrent,  receiving  the  spray  and  mist  in  our  faces. 
From  this  point  we  enjoyed  the  Falls  exceedingly; 
grandeur  almost  terrific  was  added  to  their  beauty.  .  .  . 
At  sunset  we  caught  a  glimpse  of  some  very  high 
and  distant  Alps,  crowned  with  snoiv ;  the  first  we 
have  seen.  .  .  . 

"  8//z  mo.  tyh. — On  the  way  to  Zurich  a  heavy  rain 
came  on,  but  we  were  very  cosey  in  our  little  glass 
house  (their  carriage),  and  read  and  talked  most  hap- 
pily .  .  .  We  stopped  at  an  inn  by  the  roadside,  where 
the  horses  were  fed  with  bread, — a  customary  thing 
in  this  part  of  the  country." 

At  Zurich,  and  on  the  noble  drive  thence  to  Lu- 
cerne by  way  of  Lake  Zug,  clouds  and  rain,  though 
obscuring  many  of  the  finest  points,  perhaps  height- 
ened the  impression  of  ever-increasing  grandeur. 
At  Lucerne  they  shared  the  enthusiasm  of  all  travel- 
lers at  the  first  sight  of  the  Lake  of  the  Four  Forest 
Cantons.  It  was  a  scene  of  ideal  loveliness. 

On  the  8th  of  August  they  ascended  the  Rigi, — 
Miss  Mary  Anna  in  a  chaise  a  porteurs,  Miss  Susan 
on  a  donkey, — for  these  were  the  happy  days,  when 
as  yet  railways  among  the  clouds  were  not.  The 
fascinating  winding  bridle-path  with  its  momently 
unfolding  glories  of  snow-capped  peaks  baffled  all 


92        MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

words,  yet  for  the  mother  and  aunt  at  home  who 
will  never  see  this  wonderful  Rigi  with  their  bodily 
eyes,  they  must  try  to  describe  it,  even  down  to  the 
exquisite  wayside  flowers  that  delight  Miss  M.  A.'s 
heart.  They  were  fortunate  in  the  sunset  view  from 
the  Kulm,  the  whole  panorama  being  clear  except 
the  Bernese  Oberland  ;  the  Jungfrau,  as  is  her  tanta- 
lizing wont,  hiding  her  face  behind  a  misty  veil.  The 
courier  had  remained  below  to  superintend  the  alter- 
ation of  a  travelling  carriage,  but  had  sent  his  brother 
Sebastian,  living  in  Lucerne,  in  his  place.  The  poor 
Swiss  evidently  considered  himself  responsible  for 
the  behavior  of  his  native  peaks,  and  now  hung  all 
his  hopes  on  a  perfect  sunrise.  But  alas !  the  next 
morning  "  the  mist  was  thicker  than  a  Newport  fog! 
Poor  Breit  was  nowhere  to  be  found."  These  ca- 
prices of  the  "  Monk"  and  the  "  Maiden"  had  dis- 
graced him. 

"  Nevertheless,"  said  Miss  Susan,  "  I  was  not  very 
much  disappointed,  and  thought  the  mist  very  fine,  as 
I  walked  along  the  mountain-crest.  ...  It  was  bit- 
terly cold.  I  saw  one  pedestrian  with  knapsack  on 
his  back  and  pipe  in  his  mouth  splitting  wood  to 
warm  himself,  while  the  wood-cutter  stood  by,  won- 
dering. But  suddenly  there  was  a  change.  The 
mist  rolled  away  from  lake  and  valley  up  the  side  of 
the  mountain,  the  sun  shining  upon  it,  blue  sky 


THE    TRAVELLING   CARRIAGE. 


93 


overhead.  I  ran  to  call  the  others,  and  returned 
quickly  to  find  all  again  covered  with  the  thickest 
fog.  We  concluded  not  to  wait,  for  it  might  not 
clear  till  noon,  when  lo  !  the  whole  panorama  was 
unveiled  to  our  admiring  gaze ;  we  could  hardly  turn 
from  it,  for  it  changed  every  moment,  .  .  .  clouds  on 
mountains,  mountains  piled  on  clouds,  in  the  great- 
est confusion.  Still  Sebastian  B.  was  not  satisfied : 
'  You  do  not  see  the  peaks  and  glaciers  of  the 
Bernese  Alps !": 

But  they  thought  they  had  seen  a  vision  "  such  as 
this  green  earth  could  not  elsewhere  show,"  and  were 
content.  The  descent,  with  this  changing  cloud  and 
mountain  picture  before  them,  was  almost  as  enjoy- 
able as  any  part  of  the  expedition. 

"  On  arriving  again  at  Lucerne  our  good  Breit- 
schmidt  had  the  carriage  all  ready, — a  coach-box 
put  on  for  A.  and  M., — our  clothes  washed  and 
sorted  (!),  a  book  provided  for  my  flowers,  our  trunks 
repaired,  everything  done.  .  .  .  We  have  a  large, 
easy  carriage  that  will  accommodate,  if  necessary, 
six  persons  inside.  Now  imagine  Susan  and  Mary 
on  the  back  seat,  myself  in  front  with  Murray,  etc.,  a 
capital  map  of  Switzerland,  a  great  pile  of  shawls  by 
my  side,  and  you  see  us  almost  as  well  as  if  you  were 
looking  at  us  with  your  bodily  eyes.  We  have  four 
horses,  and  a  postilion  to  drive,  in  a  blue  coat  faced 
with  scarlet,  with  short  scarlet  flaps ;  he  is  a  droll- 


94 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


looking  personage,  and  sits  on  the  left  hind  horse, 
cracking  his  whip  very  often  to  the  imminent  danger 
of  one's  face;  the  horses'  bells  make  a  very  cheerful 
sound  as  we  ride  over  hill  and  valley.  .  .  . 

"  8f/t  mo.  lof/t. — We  set  off  (from  Lucerne)  for 
Interlaken  very  early,  having  a  long  day's  journey 
before  us.  The  whole  village  appeared  to  have 
turned  out  to  see  the  departure  of  the  foreigners." 

It  was  the  unusual  sight  of  the  Friends'  costume 
that  attracted  all  this  attention.  Miss  M.  A.  says  in 
another  place : 

"  It  is  curious  to  observe  how  much  notice  we 
attract;  our  dress  is  as  novel  to  these  people  as 
theirs  is  to  us.  We  do  them  a  kindness  when  we 
take  a  good  look  at  them,  by  giving  them  the  oppor- 
tunity of  having  a  good  look  at  us.  The  courier 
tells  us  they  take  us  for  a  new  order  of  nuns. 

"  We  were  constantly  watching  for  the  chain  of 
the  Bernese  Alps,  but  the  air  was  too  misty  to  see 
them.  We  saw  the  conical  peak  of  the  Stockhorn 
and  the  darkly  frowning  Niesen,  which  form  as  it 
were  the  advanced  guard  of  the  Alps,  and  almost 
overtop  the  town  of  Thun,  where  we  stopped  to 
dine.  Thun  is  a  very  ancient-looking  place,  and 
near  its  wall  is  a  feudal  castle  seven  hundred  years 
old.  Its  situation  is  very  picturesque,  and  its  envi- 
rons are  considered  among  the  finest  in  Switzerland. 
.  .  .  We  crossed  the  Aar,  a  beautiful  stream,  rush- 
ing out  of  the  lake  as  clear  as  crystal,  and  took  an 


INTERLAKEN. 


95 


excellent,  smooth  road  along  the  south  shore  to 
Interlaken.  The  distance  is  only  fifteen  miles,  and 
our  American  horses  would  soon  have  whirled  us 
over  it,  but  these  poor  creatures,  though  the  best  we 
have  had  in  Switzerland,  were  from  4  P.M.  until  after 
sunset  on  the  road.  Still,  there  was  no  cause  for 
regret;  .  .  .  the  majestic  mountains  rising  on  every 
side,  .  .  .  the  sunset  tinting  them  with  rosy  and 
purple  light,  giving  the  lake  the  appearance  of  a  sea 
of  gold,  made  us  far  more  willing  to  linger  than  to 
hasten  through  scenes  so  exquisitely  lovely." 

Breitschmidt  could  forgive  the  Jungfrau  for  her 
caprices  at  the  Rigi,  if  she  would  only  be  propitious 
at  Interlaken.  But  he  was  helpless.  "  IlfautprierT 
he  cried,  in  his  fervor  of  desire. 

"  And  when  I  awoke  at  dawn  next  morning,"  says 
Miss  Susan,  ..."  and  in  the  clearest  possible  at- 
mosphere beheld  the  Jungfrau  and  Silberhorn  in  per- 
fect beauty,  I  could  hardly  contain  myself  for  joy. 
...  So  we  all  set  out  in  high  spirits  for  Lauterbrun- 
nen — all  beauty  as  well  as  '  all  fountains' — and  the 
cascade  of  Staubach  ;  ascended  the  VVengern  Alp  on 
horseback,  dined  in  full  view  of  the  Jungfrau  and  the 
Silberhorn,  with  avalanches  thundering  in  our  sight 
and  hearing  ;  and  went  over  the  Lesser  Scheideck  to 
Grindelwald,  under  the  shadow  of  giant  peaks,  with 
glaciers  between  them.  Here  we  drew  our  blanket 
shawls  about  us,  some  of  our  party  even  dismount- 
ing, that  their  aching  feet  might  be  warmed." 


96       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

In  descending  toward  the  valley  of  Meyringen, 
the  path  lay  now  through  a  forest  of  dark  fir-trees, 
above  whose  tops  they  could  catch  the  dazzling 
gleam  of  snow-peaks  and  aiguilles,  now  over  steep 
Alpine  pastures,  where  many  herds  of  cows  were 
feeding,  the  musical  tinkle  of  their  bells  blending 
with  the  deep  roar  of  an  occasional  avalanche.  Other 
travellers  were  descending  the  same  pass, — some  on 
foot,  with  alpenstocks  and  knapsacks  covered  with 
chamois-skins,  others,  like  themselves,  on  horseback. 
They  stop  at  a  mountain  hut  for  the  refreshments  of 
strawberries  and  cream.  "  Do  not  envy  us,"  says 
Miss  Mary  Anna,  "  but  come  and  enjoy  it  all  for 
yourselves."  So  bracing  was  the  air  on  this  de- 
lightful day  of  Alpine  climbing  they  rode  on  horse- 
back twenty-three  miles  with  little  fatigue.  The  next 
day  they  reached  the  lake  at  Brienz,  and  "  we  were 
rowed  across  to  see  the  Giesbach,  the  most  pictur- 
esque waterfall,  or  rather  succession  of  waterfalls,  I 
ever  saw;"  .  .  .  with  its  dark  forest  setting, "  it  seemed 
to  descend  from  the  clouds." 

The  party  then  returned  to  Interlaken,  and  spent 
several  delightful,  restful  days  in  full  view  of  the 
glorious  Jungfrau.  On  August  I5th  she  was  again 
veiled  in  mist.  It  was  one  of  those  days  all  travellers 
know  by  experience  only  too  well.  "  Home  thoughts 
from  abroad"  are  rarely  exhilarating,  and  Miss  Mary 


VE  VA  Y.  gj 

Anna's  turned  in  a  direction  most  natural  at  this 
season.  "  My  dear  pupils,"  she  writes,  "  came  to  my 
recollection  so  tenderly  and  vividly,  and  thoughts  of 
school,  and  how  they  would  be  settled,  that  I  was 
foolish  enough  to  shed  some  tears."  Happily,  as 
they  were  leaving  Interlaken,  the  mists  rolled  away, 
chasing  sad  thoughts  with  them,  and  the  last  glimpse 
of  the  dazzling  mountain  group  was  entrancing.  En 
route  for  Berne  they  stopped  once  more  at  Thun, 
and  again  enjoyed  its  exquisite  surroundings. 

As  they  moved  southward  from  Berne  heavy 
showers  entirely  concealed  the  Lake  of  Geneva  until 
they  were  just  above  Vevay.  Here  the  rain  ceased, 
and  the  magnificent  snow-covered  peaks  at  the  east- 
ern end  of  the  lake  were  resplendent  in  the  golden 
rays  of  the  setting  sun. 

Of  the  many  interesting  points  around  Vevay  they 
had  only  time  to  visit  one,  the  old  Castle  of  Chillon. 
The  drive  along  the  shore,  past  Clarens  and  Mon- 
treux,  convinced  them  that  "  nothing  could  be  more 
beautiful,"  until  the  same  afternoon  they  steamed 
down  the  lake  to  Geneva  and  saw  Mont  Blanc,  sixty 
miles  away,  lifting  his  majestic  head  "as  if  he  be- 
longed not  to  this  lower  world." 

Two  members  of  the  party  now  deciding  to  give 
up  the  visit  to  Northern  Italy,  engaged  another 
courier,  leaving  the  faithful  Breitschmidt  to  attend 


£,8       MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

Miss  Mary  Anna  and  her  sister,  with  their  young 
friend,  Mary  W.,  to  Geneva  and  Chamonix,  en  route 
for  the  Italian  lakes,  Genoa,  Florence,  etc. 

"  Geneva,  8//i  mo.  igth. — Not  a  cloud  in  the  blue 
sky;  Mont  Blanc  visible  all  day.  .  .  .  After  dinner  we 
set  off  to  call  on  the  Baronne  de  Stael  at  her  chateau 
on  the  lake,  near  Coppet ;  were  much  disappointed 
to  find  her  absent,  but  Susan  wrote  a  note  giving 
Uncle  Grellet's  message.  The  steward  took  us  into 
the  large  library,  dining-  and  drawing-rooms,  in  which 
were  fine  portraits  of  Mme.  de  Stael,  etc.  The  whole 
building  interested  us,  not  only  as  the  home  of  this 
excellent  woman,  but  as  a  specimen  of  a  French 
chateau.  Its  exterior  has  no  pretensions  to  elegance, 
though  the  approach  through  a  long  avenue  of  trees 
is  rather  imposing.  We  drove  there  in  a  char-a-banc 
— an  odd  kind  of  conveyance,  with  windows  only  on 
one  side,  opposite  the  passengers,  who  sit  sideways. 
On  our  way  to  Coppet  the  Jura  range  was  constantly 
before  us;  returning,  the  exquisitely  lovely  lake  with 
its  numerous  pleasure-boats,  etc.,  .  .  .  the  lateen-sails 
(peculiar  to  this  lake  and  the  Mediterranean)  having 
the  appearance  of  great  white  wings,  as  of  an  im- 
mense bird  brooding  over  the  placid  waters.  .  .  . 
And  there  was  Mont  Blanc,  perfectly  distinct  and  well 
defined,  towering  up  into  the  sky,  its  exhaustless 
mass  of  snow,  purely  white  against  the  azure  vault, 
looking  close  upon  us,  though  really  sixty  miles 
away ;  and  in  addition  to  this,  a  perfect  reflection  of 
it  in  the  lake,  though  mountains  of  great  height 


CHAMONIX. 


99 


themselves  intervene  between  it  and  its  liquid  mir- 
ror." 

They  reached  the  city  in  time  for  another  glorious 
sunset,  followed  by  an  evening  so  calm  and  beautiful 
that  they  were  tempted  out  for  a  moonlight  row 
upon  the  lake,  Mont  Blanc  in  pale  splendor  still  faintly 
visible. 

There  was  much  further  interest  for  them  in 
Geneva,  not  only  from,  its  strong  .associations  with 
Calvin  and  John  Knox,  with  Saussure,  Huber,  De 
Candolle,  and  Sismondi,  but  from  its  being  at  that 
time  the  home  of  D'Aubigne,  Malan,  and  others, 
who  seemed  to  the  sisters  to  be  holding  up  the  stand- 
ard of  a  pure  Christianity  at  a  crisis  of  great  impor- 
tance. They  would  gladly  have  lingered  another  day 
or  two,  but  Breitschmidt  was  urgent  they  should  take 
advantage  of  the  fine  weather  and  push  on  to  Cha- 
monix. 

The  large  travelling  carriage  had  been  left  for  a 
few  days  with  the  other  members  of  the  party,  so 
the  trio  took  seats  in  the  coupe  of  the  regular  dili- 
gence. The  long  drive  to  this  most  famous  of  Alpine 
valleys  was  a  fitting  prelude  to  its  glories. 

Their  rooms  at  Chamonix  were  as  usual  most 
happily  chosen :  "  opening  upon  a  wide  balcony  or 
terrace,  from  which  we  look  directly  up  at  Mont  Blanc, 


IOQ     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

the  Glacier  des  Bossons  on  one  side,  the  Mer  de 
Glace  on  the  other."  It  was  near  sunset  when  they 
arrived ;  all  the  peaks,  the  Dome,  the  aiguilles, 
were  illuminated  with  rosy  and  golden  tints ;  but 
soon  all  faded  into  cold  white,  except  Mont  Blanc, 
"  which,  sovereign-like,  remained  gloriously  and 
proudly  bright  when  all  other  terrestrial  things  were 
wrapped  in  the  shades  of  evening.  And  while  he 
was  still  wearing  his  golden  crown  the  evening  star 
appeared,  gemming  the  blue  sky  directly  above  his 
head.  .  .  .  There  was  surely  enough  of  beauty  and 
sublimity  to  awaken  poetic  fires  in  the  dullest  breast ; 
but  though  there  was  no  slumbering  spark  in  me 
capable  of  being  thus  kindled,  I  could  and  did 
heartily  enjoy  a  great  poet's  outpourings  in  Cole- 
ridge's hymn  to  Mont  Blanc." 

The  next  day,  Sunday,  was  spent  quietly,  but  in 
deep  enjoyment  of  their  surroundings.  For  the  two 
additional  days  of  their  stay  there  was  truly  an  em- 
barrassment of  riches  in  the  way  of  excursions.  One 
day,  of  course,  must  be  given  to  the  Mer  de  Glace; 
on  the  other,  Miss  Susan,  who  was  a  capital  moun- 
tain climber,  was  eager  to  try  Le  Brevent.  "  She 
could  ascend  Mont  Blanc,"  said  Breitschmidt,  in  en- 
thusiastic admiration  of  her  prowess.  After  some 
inquiry  he  found  an  American  gentleman  and  his 
daughter  who  were  as  glad  of  the  addition  to  their 


CHAMONIX.  IOI 

party  as  she  was  to  join  them,  and  the  whole  expe- 
dition was  made  most  successfully,  with  extreme  en- 
joyment and  no  fatigue. 

Miss  Mary  Anna  meanwhile,  who  was  not  equal  to 
so  arduous  a  climb,  made  with  her  young  friend  Mary 
W.,  and  quite  a  party  of  others,  the  easier  ascent 
of  La  Flegere.  "  We  did  not  expect  Susan  at  home 
until  6  P.M.,  but  to  our  great  delight  she  made  her 
appearance  at  four,  as  bright  and  fresh  as  a  bird,  and 
we  had  a  very  pleasant  talk  over  the  day's  adventures." 

By  7  A.M.  the  next  morning  they  were  on  their  mules 
for  Montanvert  and  the  Mer  de  Glace. 

"  For  a  great  part  of  our  ascent  we  were  in  the  shade, 
riding  through  a  forest  of  firs  and  larches,  the  roots 
of  which  were  covered  with  beautiful  mosses,  ferns, 
and  flowers ;  in  some  places  there  were  little  patches 
red  with  strawberries.  ...  At  the  inn  on  Montanvert 
we  dismounted,  and  with  our  alpenstocks  in  one  hand 
and  the  guide's  arm  in  the  other,  walked  down  the 
steep  bank  that  borders  the  Mer  de  Glace.  It  is  not 
until  we  are  on  this  vast  sea  that  we  can  form  an  idea 
of  its  size,  .  .  .  every  object  round  it  being  of  such 
stupendous  dimensions.  The  Aiguille  Verte  alone, 
which  rises  immediately  above  it,  is  thirteen  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea-level." 

The  little  party  met  many  friends  in  Chamonix,  and 
pleasant  social  intercourse,  always  so  great  an  addition 


1 02     MEMOIR   OF  MARY  A NNA  L ONGS TRE TH. 

to  the  charm  of  travelling,  refreshed  them  after  days 
spent  among  the  glaciers  and  aiguilles.  The  weather 
had  been  perfect, — they  had  seen  Mont  Blanc  by 
sunset  and  by  moonlight,  even  a  wind-storm  with 
shifting  clouds  adding  a  new  phase  of  grandeur.  Per- 
haps no  part  of  the  whole  journey  was  more  complete 
in  enjoyment  than  this. 

Retaining  the  same  guides  and  mules  they  had 
found  so  satisfactory  in  these  excursions,  they  crossed 
the  Tete  Noire  to  Martigny, — a  wilder  route  no  doubt 
at  that  day  than  at  the  present,  yet  \ea&  farouche  than 
they  expected,  and  to  Miss  Susan,  who  could  dismount 
at  intervals  and  walk  along  the  narrow  ledges,  both 
exciting  and  delightful.  But  for  Miss  Mary  Anna, 
who  could  not  thus  vary  the  exercise,  three  consecu- 
tive days  on  mule-back  were  almost  too  much,  and  • 
the  change  at  Martigny  to  their  comfortable  carriage 
was  a  welcome  rest.  There  were  no  good  stopping- 
places  in  the  Rhone  Valley,  but  Breitschmidt  was  a 
capital  purveyor,  and  the  contents  of  his  ample  basket 
were  never  disappointing  to  the  keenest  appetite.  The 
magnificent  passage  of  the  Simplon  beginning  at  Brieg 
was  a  contrast  indeed  to  the  Tete  Noire  bridle-path. 
Here  were  heights  and  depths  even  more  stupendous 
perhaps  than  any  they  had  yet  seen,  but  to  gaze  at 
them  from  a  cushioned  carriage  rolling  smoothly 
over  one  of  the  finest  roads  in  the  world  was  a  luxury 


LA  GO   MAGGIORE. 


103 


the  party  were  quite  ready  to  appreciate,  and  for  once 
the  lovers  of  peace  did  honor  to  Napoleon.  The 
mere  repose  was  at  first  so  delightful  they  almost  for- 
got to  look  back  at  the  castles  of  Sion  in  the  valley, 
embosomed  in  the  greenness  of  high  summer. 

As  they  left  Brieg  on  the  morning  of  August  26th, 
the  sun  was  as  hot  as  at  the  same  season  in  America, 
and  no  one  thought  of  dressing  for  an  Arctic  expedi- 
tion ;  but  a  few  hours  changed  the  temperature  from 
that  of  the  tropics  to  Labrador.  Keen  winds  from  the 
ice-fields  of  the  Aletsch  and  Viesch  glaciers  brought 
every  blanket  shawl  into  requisition,  and  braced  body 
and  mind  alike  for  the  increasing  grandeur  of  the  de- 
scent, as  they  entered  the  dark  recesses  of  the  Gondo 
Chasm,  mysterious  and  awe-inspiring  even  at  mid-day. 

The  courier  strongly  advised  against  their  lodging 
at  Domo  d'Ossola,  so^late  as  it  was,  and  now  pouring 
with  rain,  they  pushed  on  to  Baveno,  where  they  ar- 
rived at  10  P.M.,  after  seventy  miles  of  carriage  trav- 
elling since  the  morning.  They  were  not  too  weary, 
however,  to  enjoy  the  novelty  of  their  now  completely 
foreign  surroundings, — the  Italian  albergo  with  its 
inner  court-yard ;  the  soft-scented  airs  floating  from 
the  neighboring  villa  gardens;  the  musical,  courteous 
"  Si,  Signora  !"  of  the  very  porters  of  the  hotel ;  nor 
could  they  forget  that  they  were  lulled  to  sleep  by 
the  rippling  waters  of  the  Lago  Maggiore. 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

The  next  morning  they  were  rowed  over  to  the 
lovely  Borromean  Islands  opposite,  and  the  same 
afternoon  were  on  their  way  to  Arona,  where  they 
were  to  spend  the  Sunday.  Here  they  were  de- 
lighted by  a  most  unlooked-for  arrival  of  home  let- 
ters, forwarded  in  advance  by  Breitschmidt's  arrange- 
ment as  a  pleasant  surprise  for  them. 

"  8///  mo.  2%th,  First  day. — One  of  the  brightest 
days  of  our  journey,  though  spent  very  quietly.  We 
had  felt  strongly  tempted  to  go  to  Orta,  a  little  lake 
spoken  of  by  travellers  as  a  gem  of  beauty,  with  most 
exquisite  surroundings;  but,  after  weighing  the  mat- 
ter well,  we  felt  best  satisfied  to  remain  quietly  at  our 
hotel.  We  had  a  sweet  little  meeting, — great  peace 
and  comfort.  A  lovely  sunrise  this  morning.  The 
melting  hues  of  rose,  violet,  and  purple  in  which  the 
mountains  were  bathed  were  such  as  we  had  never 
seen  before ;  the  golden  glow  of  the  eastern  sky  was 
brightly  mirrored  in  the  lake." 

Their  next  stopping-place  was  Genoa,  where  they 
conscientiously  "  did"  the  usual  round  of  palaces 
and  pictures,  each  fine  and  interesting  in  itself,  yet 
crowded  into  days  so  entirely  given  up  to  sight- 
seeing, one  cannot  but  feel  somewhat  relieved  when 
they  are  once  more  in  their  carriage,  winding  along 
the  Mediterranean  shore,  the  noble  "  Riviera  Le- 
vante,"  on  their  way  to  La  Spezzia. 


LA   SPEZZIA. 


105 


On  reaching  the  crest  of  a  rocky  promontory  they 
alighted  from  their  carriage  for  one  last  look  at 
"  Genoa  la  Superba."  But  every  turn  in  the  road 
only  unfolded  some  new  phase  of  beauty, — the  little 
glistening  Italian  towns,  with  their  slender  cam- 
paniles or  picturesque  martello  towers,  outlined 
against  the  delicate  tints  of  the  retreating  shore ;  the 
olive  groves,  the  luxuriant  oleanders,  then  in  full 
bloom ; — 

"  Nor  knew  they  well  what  pleased  them  most, 
*  *  *  *  *  * 

Distant  color,  happy  hamlet, 
A  mouldered  citadel  on  the  coast, 

"  Or  tower,  or  high  hill  convent  seen 
A  light  amid  its  olives  green, 

Or  hoary  olive  cape  in  ocean, 
Or  rosy  blossoms  in  hot  ravine." 

Something  of  the  poetry  vanished,  it  is  true,  when 
they  stopped  at  a  wayside  inn  to  change  horses. 

"  The  misery  and  filth  surpassed  all  we  had  seen, 
and  so  clamorous  were  the  beggars  it  was  necessary 
to  draw  the  curtains  of  the  carriage  to  keep  them  out. 
'  Bella  Italia,  bruta  gentc!  How  I  longed  to  do 
them  some  real  good  !  They  are  pressed  down  by  the 
combined  despotism  of  priests  and  rulers.  Among 
human  instrumentalities  it  seemed  to  me  that  rail- 
roads will  be  one  of  the  most  effective.  Wherever 


I06     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGS7RETH. 

we  find  them  we  notice  more  activity  and  life  among 
the  people  and  a  desire  for  improvement  in  outward 
comfort  which  may  lead  to  something  better." 

At  La  Spezzia  the  Queen  of  Holland  and  suite 
were  occupying  the  whole  of  the  best  hotel,  so  they 
had  to  take  lodgings  in  a  private  house,  where  they 
had  a  new  and  certainly  not  pleasant  experience  of 
an  Italian  night  in  early  September.  "  Supper  was 
not  to  be  thought  of  in  our  eagerness  for  sleep,  and, 
though  the  rooms  did  not  look  very  promising,  we 
were  soon  on  our  beds.  Breitschmidt  had  told  us 
that  Spezzia  was  a  sad  place  for  mosquitoes,  but,  as 
it  was  not  yet  quite  the  season  for  them,  we  had  little 
fear  of  being  molested.  Besides,  why  should  people 
sleepy  as  we  were,  mind  mosquitoes  ?"  They  little 
suspected  the  malice  and  perseverance  of  the  tor- 
mentors lying  in  wait  for  them.  "  Between  their 
singing  and  their  stinging  sleep  was  absolutely  out 
of  the  question,"  and,  after  some  hours  of  hopeless 
battling  with  the  enemy,  Miss  Mary  Anna  insisted  on 
sitting  by  Miss  Susan's  bedside  and  fanning  her  until 
daylight,  thus  securing  for  the  one  at  least  who  most 
needed  it  a  few  hours'  repose.  The  next  morning 
they  took  a  joyful  departure  from  a  spot  whose  un- 
questionable outward  loveliness  had  now  little  power 
to  detain  them. 


FLORENCE. 


lO/ 


The  accommodations  at  Pisa,  at  a  delightful  hotel 
on  the  Arno,  were  a  great  contrast  to  those  they  had 
just  left,  and  here  Miss  Susan  was  glad  to  rest,  while 
Miss  M.  A.  and  Mary  W.  went  over  by  rail  to  Leg- 
horn to  visit  the  grave  of  Anna  Gurney  Backhouse.* 
On  their  return,  before  taking  the  train  for  Florence, 
they  found  time  not  only  to  visit  the  great  Duomo, 
Baptistery,  Campo  Santo,  and  Leaning  Tower,  but 
to  climb  to  the  top  of  the  latter,  and,  in  short,  to 
note  every  detail  of  these  remarkable  buildings  with 
real  enjoyment.  They  had  certainly  become  adepts 
in  the  art  of  expeditious  sightseeing.  The  journey  to 
Florence  was  made  in  their  own  carriage,  placed  on 
a  platform  attached  to  the  train.  At  the  Tuscan 
capital  they  were  again  on  the  Arno,  in  a  charming 
hotel,  close  to  the  picturesque  Ponte  Vecchio.  The 
next  day  was  Sunday. 

"After  breakfast  we  sent  Breitschmidt  with  the 
letter  of  introduction  given  to  us  at  Wm.  Forster's  by 
Count  Guicciardini,  .  .  .  now  an  exile  for  non-con- 
formity to  the  Romish  Church."  The  letter  was  ad- 

*  Anna  Gurney  Backhouse,  only  daughter  of  Joseph  John  Gurney, 
of  Earlham,  England,  and  wife  of  John  Church  Backhouse,  seeking 
health  in  Italy,  and  forced,  in  the  political  excitement  of  1847,10  take 
refuge  on  board  the  "  Bull  Dog,"  a  British  man-of-war,  died  on  the 
deck  of  this  vessel  as  she  lay  in  the  harbor  of  Palermo.  Her  loveli- 
ness of  character  had  greatly  endeared  her  to  Mrs.  Gurney,  as  well 
as  many  friends  of  the  latter  who  had  never  known  her  personally. 


I0g     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

dressed  to  Miss  Eliza  Brown,  a  lady  then  living  at 
Florence  as  a  Bible-reader,  under  the  protection  of 
the  British  flag. 

"  As  it  is  not  allowable  for  even  six  persons  to 
meet  together  for  religious  fellowship  or  reading,  her 
poor  Tuscan  friends  come  to  her  one  or  two  at  a 
time.  Her  door  is  chained,  and  when  the  bell  rings 
she  opens  it  herself,  so  afraid  are  they  of  being  dis- 
turbed by  spies  and  officers." 

Miss  Brown  called  on  them  that  same  afternoon 
with  Miss  Georgiana  Dixon,  a  friend  and  fellow- 
worker,  and  after  much  interesting  talk  about  the 
happiness,  as  well  as  the  difficulties  of  their  labors 
among  these  poor  Lollards  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
the  whole  party  took  a  drive  around  the  city.  They 
went  to  the  Boboli  Gardens,  enjoyed  the  fascinating 
vistas  through  the  cypress  avenues,  those 

"  Bright  vignettes,  and  each  complete, 
Of  tower  and  duomo,  sunny  sweet," 

and  drove  through  the  lovely  Cascine.  But  perhaps 
nothing,  modern  or  medieval,  had  more  interest  for 
them  than  the  palace  of  Count  Guicciardini,  "  ar- 
rested," says  Miss  M.  A.,  "  for  the  crime  of  reading 
the  1 5th  chapter  of  St.  John  in  company  with 
seven  persons.  His  character  is  so  pure  and  excel- 
lent that  he  was  called  in  Florence  '  The  Unblem- 


FLORENCE. 


109 


ished/  and  when  he  was  taken  to  prison  his  guards 
and  jailer  involuntarily  uncovered  their  heads  out  of 
respect."  Thirty  years  have  made  a  change  indeed 
in  Florentine  liberties. 

The  next  day  they  began  with  the  galleries.  But 
what  could  be  done  in  four  days  with  the  treasures 
of  the  Pitti  and  Uffizi,  to  say  nothing  of  even  richer 
objects  of  interest, — Giotto's  Campanile,  the  Gates 
of  the  Baptistery,  the  Duomo,  San  Marco,  and  the 
Bargello?  The  fascinations  of  Florence  are  well- 
nigh  inexhaustible.  The  mere  enumeration  is  a 
catalogue  of  masterpieces  in  almost  every  domain  of 
art.  Every  corner  of  the  old  town  is  linked  with 
some  illustrious  name.  Dante  and  Savonarola, 
Michael  Angelo  and  Raphael  still  haunt  her  streets ; 
Fra  Angelico's  saintly  presence  lingers  in  the  pic- 
tured cells  of  San  Marco.  Four  months  would 
hardly  suffice  to  receive  all  the  rich  old  city  has  to 
give,  yet  all  that  could  be  done  in  four  days  Miss 
Mary  Anna  and  her  party  undoubtedly  did. 

The  courier  was  almost  disabled  by  rheumatism 
just  at  this  time,  but  it  happened  most  fortunately 
that  he  could  take  a  complete  rest;  Miss  Dixon 
evidently  delighting  to  act  as  cicerone,  Miss  Brown 
also  joining  the  party  whenever  her  engagements 
would  allow. 

Notwithstanding  the   unseasonable  time  of  year, 


IIO     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

almost  all  the  travellers  they  met  were  on  the  way  to 
Rome,  Naples,  and  Pompeii,  names  of  potent  spell 
to  the  coldest  fancy ;  but  the  little  trio,  though  cast- 
ing wistful  glances  toward  the  south,  could  set  aside 
the  temptation  without  an  effort,  Miss  M.  A.  even  re- 
joicing that  they  had  reached  the  most  distant  point  of 
the  journey  and  could  now  turn  their  faces  homeward. 
Her  "dear  girls,"  too,  just  at  this  time  taking  their 
places  at  other  schools,  pulled  strongly  at  her  heart. 
September  8th  they  left  Florence  for  Bologna;  not 
whirled  away,  as  would  probably  now  be  the  case,  by 
a  shrieking  locomotive,  but  seated  in  the  home-like 
carriage,  leisurely  ascending  the  villa-dotted  hills 
among  the  vines  and  olive-yards,  with  lovely  last 
views  of  "Firenze  la  Bella"  lying  in  the  valley  below. 
At  Caffagioli  an  ancient  palace  of  the  Medici  comes 
picturesquely  into  view.  A  Spanish  princess,  Eleanor 
of  Toledo,  was  murdered  here  in  the  old  days  of 
license  and  misrule.  The  machicolate  towers  and  bat- 
tlements look  grimly  conscious  of  the  tragedy ;  the 
little  party  shudder  at  the  sight  of  them,  but  the 
haze  of  centuries  is  upon  the  story,  and  the  purple 
mountains  make  the  scene  so  picturesque !  There  are 
many  such.  As  they  climb  the  rugged  spurs  of  the 
Apennines,  "exclamations  of  delight  were  constantly 
bursting  from  our  lips.  We  dined  in  the  carriage, 
and  our  '  clover-leaf  was  very  happy." 


BOLOGNA.  in 

"  At  the  summit  of  the  pass  everything  looked 
wintry  and  dreary,  and  this  part  of  the  country  is  the 
resort  of  banditti."  So  they  stop  early  for  the  night 
and  enjoy  a  cosey  parlor  with  a  blazing  fire,  "  fine 
views  of  the  Apennines,  a  glowing  sunset,  and  a  beau- 
tiful moonrise.  We  sat  down  to  write  in  our  journals, 
and  when  it  grew  too  dark  to  see  we  drew  our  chairs 
around  the  fire  and  enjoyed  an  old-fashioned  twi- 
light." 

They  were  on  their  way  again  soon  after  six  the 
next  morning,  that  they  might  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
Adriatic  before  the  mists  obscured  it,  and  they  were 
not  disappointed.  Miss  M.  A.  rode  outside  nearly 
all  the  way  down  to  Bologna;  the  descents  were  often 
very  steep.  "  Breitschmidt  put  the  shoe  on  the  car- 
riage fifty  times." 

They  spent  a  few  hours  among  the  pictures,  etc., 
at  Bologna,  and  the  next  morning  again  started  early, 
posting  the  whole  ninety  miles  to  Piacenza  in  one 
day,  that  they  might  reach  Milan  in  time  for  at  least 
a  partly  quiet  Sunday.  The  road  was  the  old  Roman 
Via  Emilia,  built  187  B.C.,  its  solid,  ancient  stone- 
work still  in  good  condition.  "  It  was  perfectly 
straight;  we  could  see  miles  before  us  and  miles 
behind  us." 

At  Piacenza  there  was  some  trouble  about  their 
passports,  as  the  officials  at  the  bureau  "  did  not 


H2     MEMOIR   OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

know  where  Washington  was,  and  had  never  heard 
of  Philadelphia,"  and  sent  to  the  hotel  after  the  ladies 
had  retired  for  the  night  to  call  them  to  account  for 
purporting  to  come  from  such  impossible  places. 
Breitschmidt,  however,  backed  by  a  more  enlight- 
ened Austrian  officer,  soon  settled  the  matter,  and 
the  party  did  not  hear  of  it  until  the  next  noon. 

At  Milan  the  white  spires  of  the  Cathedral  were  in 
view  from  their  windows  at  the  hotel.  The  exterior 
had  become  familiar  to  them  through  pictures,  but 
as  they  entered, 

"  The  height,  the  space,  the  gloom,  the  glory, 
The  giant  windows  'blazoned  fires," 

took  them  completely  by  surprise.  "  My  astonish- 
ment at  its -grandeur  and  beauty,"  says  Miss  Mary 
Anna,  "  was  so  great  that  I  raised  my  hands  in  a 
transport  of  delight.  It  is  worth  crossing  the  ocean 
to  see." 

"...  In  the  chapel  under  the  church  we  saw  the 
gorgeous  shrine  and  inner  coffin  of  rock-crystal  in 
which  the  body  of  St.  Charles  Borromeo  is  deposited. 
A  ghastly  sight  it  was,  the  head  shrivelled  almost  to 
the  bare  skull  in  the  midst  of  the  gold  and  diamonds, 
emeralds  and  rubies,  which  compose  the  end  of  his 
crosier  and  adorn  his  dress.  .  .  . 

"A  funeral  procession  was  leaving  the  church, — a 
long  train  of  women  dressed  in  black,  with  white 


MILAN.  u^ 

aprons,  caps,  and  veils,  each  one  carrying  a  large  wax 
candle,  lighted,  all  chanting  as  they  followed  the 
coffin.  We  were  told  they  were  not  nuns,  but  a 
kind  of  benevolent  society  to  which  the  deceased 
belonged.  ... 

"  We  drove  to  the  Convent  in  whose  deserted  re- 
fectory is  Leonardo's  celebrated  painting  of  the  Last 
Supper.  The  head  of  our  Saviour  far  exceeded  our 
expectations,  and  is  superior  to  all  other  attempts 
which  we  have  seen  to  portray  His  divine  counte- 
nance. Our  fatigue  was  forgotten." 

They  had  been  very  desirous  of  seeing  the  Cathe- 
dral by  moonlight,  and  were  not  disappointed.  Its 
beauty  was  magical,  but  Miss  Susan  had  a  still  rarer 
treat.  Early  the  next  morning  she  mounted  to  the 
top,  and  was  rewarded  by  a  sight  one  could  never 
forget.  The  whole  horizon  was  encircled  by  moun- 
tains, and  there  lay  the  long  chain  of  snow-covered 
Alps  in  cloudless  beauty,  Monte  Rosa  "phantom 
fair,"  flushed  by  the  sunrise,  now  seen  for  the  first 
time.  Miss  S.  came  back  enchanted;  "but  /can  tell 
you,"  wrote  Miss  Mary  Anna, "  of  a  nice  morning  nap, 
while  S.  was  toiling  up  those  five  hundred  and  twelve 
steps." 

When,  however,  in  1866,  Miss  M.  A.  was  again  at 
Milan,  she  gave  up  her  morning  nap  and  herself 
climbed  to  the  Cathedral  roof,  to  be  rewarded  by  the 

same  glorious  spectacle. 

10* 


1 1 4     MEMOIR  OF  MA  R  Y  ANNA  L  ONGS  TRE  TH. 

All  this  time  the  courier  had  been  again  really  ill, 
and  the  party  of  three  ladies  travelling  alone  were 
seriously  anxious;  but  to  their  great  relief  Breit- 
schmidt  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  go  on  with 
them  to  Como.  All  they  had  time  to  see  of  the 
beautiful  lake  was  from  the  deck  of  the  steamer  on 
the  way  to  Colico,  where  they  again  took  their  places 
in  the  carriage.  The  speed  with  which  they  now 
travelled  almost  takes  away  one's  breath.  By  early 
rising,  and  extra  fees  to  the  postilions,  they  crowded 
the  programme  for  two  days  into  one,  posting  from 
Chiavenna  to  Spliigen,  and  taking  the  same  afternoon 
the  excursion  to  the  Via  Mala. 

"  It  was  a  glorious  day  (September  I5th),  and  the 
mountain  air  was  thoroughly  exhilarating.  .  .  .  Tread- 
ing numerous  zigzags,  short  and  sharp,  and  trav- 
ersing several  galleries  cut  through  the  rock  with 
great  labor  and  expense,  we  came  in  view  of  the  beau- 
tiful fall  of  the  Medessino,  rushing  down  a  precipice 
eight  hundred  feet  high.  We  had  the  opportunity  of 
seeing  it  again  and  again  at  the  turning  of  the  terraces 
up  which  we  were  winding.  .  .  .  Without  the  pre- 
caution of  the  galleries  the  road  would  be  swept 
away  by  the  avalanches.  Ascending  still  higher,  we 
passed  the  region  of  shrubs  ;  but  even  here  the  coarse 
grass  was  thickly  sprinkled  with  tufts  of  the  violet- 
colored  gentian.  .  .  .  Another  series  of  zigzags 
brought  us  to  the  summit  of  the  Splugen  Pass,  a 


VIA   MALA.  n^ 

narrow  ridge  forming  the  boundary-line  between 
Lombardy  and  Switzerland.  It  is  nearly  seven  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea.  I  cannot  describe  the 
beauty  of  the  scenery, — the  pure  air,  the  snow-capped 
peaks,  with  occasionally  a  glacier  between  them,  seen 
against  the  bright  blue  sky.  The  descent  began 
immediately,  ...  by  short  zigzags,  to  the  village  of 
Spliigen.  ...  I  noticed  some  fine  specimens  of  the 
dark-blue  gentian,  but  it  was  out  of  the  question  to 
stop  the  carriage,  and  I  saw  it  nowhere  afterwards. 

"We  arrived  in  Spliigen  at  half-past  twelve,  just 
in  time  for  the  diligence  dinner,  and  a  little  after  one 
were  ready  to  set  off  for  the  Via  Mala.  .  .  .  The 
road  follows  the  Rhine  all  the  way.  .  .  .  At  one 
point,  where  a  bridge  spanned  the  river,  we  had  a 
view  of  transporting  loveliness, — snow  mountains  in 
the  distance,  the  foaming  cataract  of  the  Rofla,  and 
meadows  sprinkled  for  miles  with  the  most  beautiful 
autumnal  crocusus.  .  .  .  Our  new  postilion  speaks 
Romansch,  a  dialect  derived  from  the  Latin, — many 
words  being  identical  with  it.  At  Andeer,  where  we 
changed  horses,  we  saw  mottoes  and  quaint  inscrip- 
tions in  Latin  and  Romansch  on  several  of  the 
houses.  But  soon  the  valley  began  to  contract,  until 
there  was  only  a  narrow  defile  between  the  almost 
perpendicular  walls  of  rock.  At  some  points  there 
was  no  place  for  a  road  ;  it  had  to  be  hewn  out  of  the 
solid  stone;  and  there  it  is  like  a  shelf,  hanging  over 
the  tremendous  gulf  below,  while  the  arching  rock 
above  overhangs  the  road.  We  passed  through  a  short 
tunnel,  and  afterwards  over  two  bridges  which  span 


U6     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

the  gorge,  carrying  the  road  from  one  side  to  the 
other.  To  enjoy  the  impressive  view  thoroughly  we 
walked  nearly  a  mile  through  the  pass,  which,  al- 
though inferior  in  fearful  grandeur  to  the  Gorge  of 
Gondo,  seemed  to  us  more  wonderful.  For  the  chasm, 
split  through  the  stupendous  mountain  from  its  sum- 
mit to  its  base,  is  in  some  places  so  narrow  one  could 
almost  leap  across,  and  the  edges  appear  to  be  so 
little  changed  by  time,  that  if  the  same  force  that 
rent  them  asunder  should  act  again  to  press  them 
together,  they  would  fit  almost  as  if  they  were  dove- 
tailed. We  stood  some  time  on  the  bridge  looking 
at  the  sublime  scene.  Perhaps  the  Gorge  of  Gondo 
impressed  us  more  because  we  saw  it  first.  The  Via 
Mala  is  certainly  exceedingly  grand.  Looking  over 
the  parapet  of  the  bridge,  we  could  hardly  see  the 
Rhine  boiling  and  foaming  in  the  depths  below;  at 
some  points  it  was  entirely  hidden  by  the  overhang- 
ing cliffs.  A  fragment  of  rock  thrown  down  by  our 
driver  was  seven  seconds  in  reaching  the  river.  .  .  . 
Again  emerging  from  the  pass,  we  enjoyed  the 
brightness  of  the  valley  in  the  broad  glow  of  a  de- 
scending sun.  Our  horses  were  spirited,  and  the 
horn  of  our  postilion  was  unusually  sweet  and 
musical.  We  arrived  at  the  hotel  just  before  dark. 
Half  an  hour  after  it  began  to  rain.  The  landlord 
of  '  La  Poste'  had  a  large  fire  made  in  the  sallc  a 
manger,  and  our  tea-table  was  set  close  to  the  cheer- 
ful blaze,  which  was  enjoyed  highly,  not  only  by 
ourselves,  but  by  several  parties  of  ladies  and  elderly 
gentlemen  who  came  in  after  us  quite  chilled.  We 


SPLUGEN. 


117 


found  them  sociable  and  agreeable  in  conversation. 
Our  host  gave  us  for  supper  a  couple  of  wild  fowl, 
new  to  us,  called  ponies  de  neige. 

"  qth  mo.  i6th. — Again  we  rose  with  the  dawn, 
having  a  long  drive  before  us,  and  the  weather  giv- 
ing signs  of  a  change.  How  charming  it  has  been  ! 
We  breakfasted  at  a  blazing  fire,  and  left  Spliigen  at 
six,  having  added  our  recommendation  to  the  nu- 
merous others  in  the  landlord's  book.  .  .  .  Spliigen 
is  a  beautiful  little  village  in  the  pastoral  valley  of  the 
Rhein-wald,  and  at  the  point  of  departure  of  the  two 
Alpine  passes,  the  Spliigen  and  the  Bernardino.  We 
ascended  the  long  slopes  of  the  Bernardino,  the  green 
valley  of  the  Hinter-Rhine.  The  grass  was  spark- 
ling with  dewdrops,  shepherds  driving  their  goats  to 
pasture,  sharp  granite  peaks  pierced  the  clouds,  and 
the  rounded  mountain  summits  were  white  with  new- 
fallen  snow.  It  was  pleasant  to  be  again  on  the 
banks  of  the  Rhine,  which  we  had  seen  a  noble  river 
flowing  between  castle-crowned  heights,  and  again, 
near  Schaffhausen,  a  miniature  Niagara.  Here  it  was 
a  frolicsome  stream  that  one  could  almost  leap  over  ; 
we  were  only  ten  miles  from  its  source.  .  .  . 

"  As  we  rose  higher  there  was  more  wildness  than 
beauty  in  the  landscape;  the  dark-frowning,  gigantic 
mass  of  the  Moschel-horn  was  very  grand.  The 
mountain  over  which  we  were  travelling  derives  its 
name  from  a  pious  missionary,  St.  Bernardin,  of 
Siena,  who  preached  the  gospel  in  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury in  these  unfrequented  valleys.  When  we  reached 
the  summit  of  the  pass,  which  is  three  hundred  feet 


H8     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

higher  than  that  of  the  Spliigen,  we  were  surprised 
to  find  a  beautiful  little  lake — the  Lago  Moesola — 
the  source  of  the  Moesa,  which  now  became  our 
companion  during  the  greater  part  of  the  day.  .  .  . 

"  We  finally  came  to  the  point  where  the  Ber- 
nardino road  joins  the  St.  Gothard,  and  the  postil- 
ion made  believe  he  could  not  take  us  on  the  St. 
Gothard  route  without  going  to  Bellinzona,  which 
would  have  occasioned  the  loss  of  an  hour  or  two. 
But  Breitschmidt  foreseeing  this,  had  obtained  from 
the  maitre  de  la  Paste  a  writing  to  the  effect  we  need 
not  go  there. 

"  It  is  very  amusing  to  see  Breitschmidt  pay  the 
postilions.  They  try  every  possible  means  to  impose 
upon  him,  but  he  knows  all  their  tricks.  There  is 
a  tariff  of  prices  fixed  by  law,  but  if  they  drive  well 
he  gives  them  a  little  more.  Sometimes,  when  they 
are  dissatisfied,  he  takes  back  their  bonne-main  and 
gives  them  a  smaller  piece.  Sometimes  they  try  to 
persuade  him,  telling  him  they  know  the  kind-look- 
ing ladies  in  the  carriage  would  let  him  give  them 
more,  but  generally  they  scold  and  grumble.  .  .  . 
All  being  in  Italian  or  German,  we  seldom  understand 
a  word,  but  we  gather  a  great  deal  from  their  ges- 
tures, which  are  very  amusing. 

"The  view  is  exceedingly  fine  at  the  junction  of 
the  two  roads — the  Bernardino  and  the  St.  Gothard 
— where  three  valleys  meet,  all  bounded  by  noble 
ranges  of  mountains.  Our  route  was  now  on  the 
St.  Gothard,  bordering  the  river  Ticino,  whose  trans- 
parent waters  were  of  a  beautiful  pale  green,  whitened 


DEVI  US  BRIDGE.  Up 

by  the  foam  of  many  a  tiny  cascade,  as  it  rushed( 
over  its  rocky  bed." 

In  all  these  valleys  they  were  especially  struck 
with  the  size  and  luxuriance  of  the  chestnut-trees. 

"  It  was  dark  when  we  arrived  at  Faido ;  the 
evening  star  shone  brightly,  and  we  felt  inclined  to  ask 
it  '  What  of  Mont  Blanc  ?'  over  whose  snowy  summit 
we  had  seen  it  stand  like  a  sparkling  gem  at  Chamo- 
nix.  We  have  travelled  ninety  miles  to-day,  with  so 
little  fatigue  we  could  have  gone  on  to  Airolo." 

This  part  of  the  route,  however,  was  too  fine  to  be 
lost  in  darkness. 

The  next  morning  they  reached  the  Dazio  Grande, 
"  a  g°rge  that  we  thought  equalled,  if  it  did  not  sur- 
pass in  beauty  combined  with  grandeur,  every  other 
we  had  seen ;  not  so  terrific  as  the  gorge  of  Gondo, 
and  not  so  wonderful  as  the  Via  Mala,  but  exceed- 
ingly picturesque.  It  is  a  rent  in  the  Monte  Piot- 
tino,  nearly  a  mile  long,  and  extremely  winding  and 
narrow." 

The  scenery  all  the  way  to  Airolo  was  very  fine, 
but  here  they  entered  the  region  of  clouds,  and  every- 
thing was  hidden  but  the  masterly  engineering  of 
the  road  itself.  Descending  the  Swiss  side  of  the 
pass,  they  dined  at  Hospenthal,  and  soon  reached  the 
famous  Devil's  Bridge. 


120     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

.  "  The  Reuss  rushes  down  this  savage  gorge  in  a 
lofty  cataract,  and  a  powerful  current  of  wind  blows 
back  the  spray  with  mighty  force.  High  and  precip- 
itous walls  of  rock  hem  the  river  in  on  both  sides.  .  .  . 
We  thought  of  the  awful  scenes  which  had  taken 
place  there  in  1799,  when  two  armies  successively,  Jn 
little  more  than  a  month,  were  driven  through  this 
fearful  chasm,  and  many  of  the  poor  soldiers  precipi- 
tated into  the  abyss  below." 

It  was  an  afternoon  of  golden  sunshine,  as  com- 
pletely in  accord  with  the  rich  pastoral  beauty  of  the 
lower  valley  as  clouds  and  gloom  had  been  with  the 
stony  desolation  of  the  upper  pass,  or  the  Devil's 
Bridge  with  its  tales  of  cruelty  and  blood.  They 
stopped  for  the  night  at  Fluellen,  and  heard  the  watch- 
man go  his  rounds,  "singing  at  the  end  of  each  hour 
a  stanza  in  German  :  '  Hark,  ye  neighbors,  hear  me 
tell,'  etc." 

They  had  now  nearly  completed  their  circuit 
through  Switzerland  and  Northern  Italy,  and  were 
almost  at  their  starting-point  again.  The  Alps  had 
become  like  old  friends,  and  these  were  to  be  their 
last  days  among  them.  The  Bay  of  Uri,  in  which  the 
utmost  ideal  of  lake  and  mountain  beauty  seems  to 
culminate,  where  Schiller's  "  William  Tell"  takes  the 
place  of  Baedecker  as  guide-book,  and  where  every 
cliff  and  cove  is  part  of  the  scenery  of  the  drama, 


L  UCERNE.  1 2 1 

was  the  only  arm  of  the  lake  they  had  not  seen  be- 
fore. The  party  believed  in  the  Swiss  hero  of  free- 
dom, as  all  Americans  are  bound  to  do ;  at  all  events, 
if  they  had  any  historical  doubts,  there  is  no  record 
of  them.  It  was  now  so  late  in  the  season  they  were 
almost  the  only  passengers,  and  they  could  scarcely 
have  had  a  more  beautiful  and  congenial  Sabbath- 
day's  journey.  They  pass  from  side  to  side  of  the 
boat,  as  each  turn  of  the  varied  shore  brings  into 
view  some  new  beauty,  and  look  up  the  green 
slopes  of  the  Rigi,  remembering  their  eagerness  for 
a  first  distant  glimpse  of  the  coy  Jungfrau.  At 
eleven  o'clock  they  were  in  their  pleasant  rooms  at 
the  Schweitzerhof  in  Lucerne,  reading  their  home 
letters  with  thankful  hearts.  A  sunset  walk  along 
the  lake-shore,  with  the  snow  peaks  towering  above 
it  bathed  in  rose  color,  and  a  beautiful  moonlight  view 
from  their  chamber  windows,  rounded  the  day, — their 
last  Sunday  in  Switzerland.  They  left  Lucerne  Sep- 
tember 2Oth  by  diligence,  and  from  a  pass  of  the  Un- 
terhanenstein,  en  route  for  Bale,  had  their  last  glimpse 
of  the  Alps, — a  magnificent  "  semicircle  of  seventy 
miles'  radius, — Glarus,  Wallenstock,  Titlis ;  the  Ber- 
nese Oberland  with  our  favorite  Finsteraarhorn, 
Monch,  Eiger,  and  Jungfrau  distinctly  seen  glowing 
with  rosy  light  above  the  snow-line,  while  their  bases 
were  bathed  in  the  softest  tints  of  blue  and  violet." 


122     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

They  enjoyed  it  the  more  as  it  was  the  longed-for 
distant  view  they  had  missed  at  Berne. 

The  next  day  the  party  were  at  Strasburg,  from 
which  they  would  gladly  have  visited  the  haunts 
and  grave  of  Oberlin,  but  the  time  of  sailing  was 
drawing  near,  and  they  could  not  linger  even  an 
additional  day.  The  Cathedral,  with  its  cloud- 
piercing  spire  and  curious  old  clock,  interested 
them ;  but  by  noon  they  were  in  the  train  for  Paris, 
and  before  eleven  o'clock  that  evening  in  their  rooms 
at  the  Hotel  Windsor,  Rue  de  Rivoli,  opposite  the 
Tuileries. 

The  traveller's  journal  at  Paris  has  perhaps  less 
animation  than  in  any  part  of  the  tour.  The  fasci- 
nations of  Europe  are  by  this  time  counteracted  by 
a  much  stronger  magnet. 

"  Our  pleasure  in  reaching  Paris,"  writes  Miss 
Mary  Anna,  "  is  almost  destroyed  by  hearing  from 
B.  S.  &  Co.  that  the  'Arctic,'  and  not  the  'At- 
lantic,' is  to  sail  for  America  on  the  iQth  of  next 
month,  on  which  day  we  had  been  looking  forward 
to  embarking  for  dear,  dear  home." 

The  weather,  too,  was  cold  and  rainy,  and  there 
was  no  doubt  a  reaction  from  the  bracing  air  of 
Switzerland;  the  home  budget,  that  best  of  tonics, 
did  not  come  with  the  usual  regularity,  and  the  joy- 


PARIS. 


123 


ous  energy  that  made  the  long  days  of  Alpine  trav- 
elling so  delightful  sensibly  flags. 

"  We  are  all  well,  and  Paris  is  very  fine,  if  we  only 
had  spirits  to  enjoy  it.  Is  it  not  droll  to  be  out  of 
spirits  in  Paris  ?  .  .  .  We  have  been  comparatively  idle 
since  we  came  here,  but  we  mean  to  go  to  work  again 
industriously  to-morrow,  and  when  you  think  of  us 
at  Versailles,  St.  Cloud,  Port  Royal,  the  Louvre,  etc., 
you  may  be  sure  we  are  enjoying  a  great  deal  in 
spite  of  everything.  Tell  the  boys  to  study  hard,  to 
be  ready  to  come  to  this  wonderful  country.  Al- 
most every  spot  of  ground  teems  with  historic 
interest." 

Few  people  can  live  upon  sight-seeing  alone ;  and 
city  sight-seeing  especially,  when  one  is  homesick,  is 
not  exhilarating.  But  it  is  clearly  a  duty  to  see  Paris 
now  they  are  there,  so  they  pay  their  first  visit  to  the 
Louvre,and  conscientiously  begin  upon  its  seven  miles 
of  paintings.  The  effort  is  not  quite  without  reward. 
The  tender  simplicity  of  Murillo's  Madonnas  gives 
them  true  pleasure,  Gerard  Dow's  Old  Couple  read- 
ing the  Bible  touch  them,  and  the  portrait  of  the  Lady 
Abbess,  the  Mere  Agnes  Arnauld,  has  an  interest 
for  them  quite  apart  from  its  merits  as  a  work  of 
art.  They  spend  "several  hours  in  the  Italian, 
Flemish,  and  Dutch  schools,"  and  another  day  stay 
from  eleven  until  four  in  the  afternoon  noting  all 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

they  can  of  the  contents  not  only  of  the  picture- 
galleries,  but  of  the  endless  salles  and  musees. 
There  is  something  heroic  in  their  perseverance. 
Hawthorne  himself,  wandering  through  the  mazes  of 
the  British  Museum,  has  moments  in  which  he  can 
"  wish  that  the  Elgin  marbles  and  frieze  of  the 
Parthenon  were  all  burnt  into  lime!"  and  most 
travellers  must  recall  moods  of  weariness  quite  as 
heretical. 

One  day  they  drive  to  Pere  la  Chaise.  The 
stony  avenues,  artificial  emblems,  and  French  sen- 
timent are  not  elevating,  but  they  find  some  interest 
in  the  great  names  commemorated  on  the  tombs, 
and  thoroughly  enjoy  a  visit  afterwards  to  the  old 
Abbey  Church  of  St.  Denis. 

Notwithstanding  the  dull  weather,  the  party  go 
twice  to  Versailles,  where  the  pomp  and  circum- 
stance, and  still  more  the  tragedy  and  pathos  of 
French  history,  grow  real  to  them  ;  the  little  Tri- 
anon is  inseparable  from  the  name  and  fate  of  Marie 
Antoinette.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  in  a  pour- 
ing rain,  they  drive  on  to  Port  Royal,  hoping  to 
find  some  remnant  of  the  convent  once  such  a 
centre  of  spiritual  life.  But  a  group  of  homely 
farm  buildings  stands  upon  the  site,  and  scarcely  a 
vestige  of  the  old  monastery  can  they  trace. 

October  /th  they  leave  Paris  for  Havre,  stopping 


ROUEN. 


125 


a  few  hours  on  the  way  at  Rouen,  whose  rich  old 
Church  of  St.  Ouen  they  think  only  inferior  to  the 
great  cathedrals  of  Cologne  and  Milan. 

"  But  no  part  delighted  us  more  than  the  reflec- 
tion of  the  whole  interior  from  the  mirror-like  sur- 
face of  the  marble  benitier.  Descending  arches  seemed 
to  join  the  ascending,  and  the  richly-painted  windows 
shone  with  added  lustre." 

They  did  not  overlook  the  fine  old  Palais  de  Jus- 
tice, with  its  beautiful  facades,  lining  three  sides  of  a 
square,  at  once  rich  and  delicate  in  design ;  its  hall, 
where  the  Parliament  of  Normandy  used  to  meet, 
ceiled  with  carved  oak,  now  dark  with  age,  in  fine 
contrast  with  the  gold  decoration.  They  walked 
through  the  picturesque  "  street  of  the  Grosse  Hor- 
loge,  spanned  by  an  antique  clock  built  over  a 
gateway,  and  saw  adjoining,  the  tower  whence  the 
curfew  is  tolled  every  evening;  went  to  the  spot 
where  Joan  of  Arc  was  burned  alive  in  1431,  and 
saw  the  chapel  where  she  was  forced  to  confess  her- 
self a  sorceress ;"  and  did  not  fail  to  remember  that 
"  it  was  in  this  city  that  William  the  Conqueror  was 
deserted  in  his  dying  moments  by  his  sons  and  cour- 
tiers, and  his  body  lay  stripped  and  unburied,  while 
a  stranger  provided  for  its  interment." 

It   is  dark,  rainy,  and  dismal    when   they  reach 
11* 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

Havre,  but  the  crossing  is  once  more  exception- 
ally smooth,  and  when  the  inevitable  English  fog 
that  received  them  has  cleared  away,  other  clouds 
lighten  with  it.  The  Isle  of  Wight  looks  very 
beautiful  in  the  genial  sunshine  as  the  little  Cowes 
steamer  glides  along  the  shore,  and  something  of 
the  holiday  gladness  of  Switzerland  touches  all  its 
pleasant  pictures, — the  ruins  of  Netley  Abbey  in  the 
distance  ;  Norris  Castle,  the  royal  palace  and  grounds 
of  Osborne. 

The  reverent  English  observance  of  Sunday  at 
Ryde  is  very  grateful  to  them.  There  is  no  meet- 
ing, so  they  drive  to  Legh  Richmond's  ancient 
church  at  Brading,  "  the  air  balmy,  the  birds  sing- 
ing, everything  breathing  gentleness  and  peace."  A 
few  hours  later  we  find  them  at  the  picturesque 
cottage-inn  at  Shanklin. 

"  The  glass  doors  of  the  parlors  open  on  a  green 
lawn,  with  fine  old  trees,  whose  trunks  are  covered 
with  ivy.  There  is  a  beautiful  view  of  the  sea  be- 
yond ;  myrtles,  roses,  and  passion-flowers  nearly 
cover  the  front  of  the  cottage.  Before  dinner  we 
took  a  delightful  walk  along  the  shore  and  through 
the  Chine, — a  miniature  gorge,  with  a  tiny  stream 
and  waterfall.  The  whole  of  it  looked  to  us,  who 
had  so  lately  seen  the  Gorge  of  Gondo,  Via  Mala, 
and  Devil's  Bridge,  like  a  pretty  appendage  to  a 


LONDON. 


127 


gentleman's  pleasure-grounds."  Not  so  the  sea. 
"  After  dinner  Mary  and  I  walked  again  on  the 
shore.  The  weather  had  changed,  the  wind  was 
high,  and  we  enjoyed  the  dash  and  rolling  of  the 
waves." 

October  nth  the  little  party  went  up  to  London. 
It  was  not  a  favorable  time  to  see  the  city.  The 
National  Gallery  was  closed,  Hyde  Park  was  de- 
serted, the  skies  were  dark  and  gloomy,  and  home 
letters  still  delayed.  They  felt,  too,  the  need  of 
some  one  to  plan  and  arrange  for  them.  The  "  mag- 
nificent distances"  of  London  were  perplexing,  and 
the  courier,  himself  a  stranger  in  England,  was  often 
at  a  loss,  though  still  devoted  to  their  interests. 
But  once  more  they  set  out  bravely,  visit  the  Tower, 
St.  Paul's,  Thames  Tunnel,  and  in  the  long  morn- 
ings really  study  the  great  Abbey  and  the  British  Mu- 
seum. At  the  latter  place,  says  Miss  Mary  Anna,  "  I 
could  not  have  believed  I  should  be  so  delighted. 
For  more  than  two  hours  I  was  riveted  to  the  room 
containing  the  Elgin  marbles.  It  is  wonderful  that 
mutilated  groups  of  statuary,  headless  sometimes, 
and  sometimes  without  arms  or  feet,  can  give  such 
intense  pleasure.  The  Assyrian  remains  are  also 
exceedingly  interesting,  perhaps  even  more  so  than 
the  Greek  marbles." 

The   crowd    of  gay   equipages,  equestrians,    and 


I2g     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

promenaders,  which  make  Hyde  Park  in  the  season 
so  characteristic  a  feature  of  London,  was  entirely 
absent ;  but,  perhaps  on  that  very  account,  its  extent, 
sylvan  beauty,  and  complete  seclusion  from  the  com- 
mercial whirl  were  the  more  striking. 

"  You  can  have  no  idea,"  writes  Miss  M.  A.,  "  of 
the  extent  and  beauty  of  these  parks  ;  the  impression 
they  make  in  this  great  metropolis  is  wonderful.  We 
pass  in  a  moment  from  the  din  and  bustle  of  Picca- 
dilly into  the  refreshing  quiet  of  the  country ;  cows 
and  sheep  are  grazing  on  the  greenest  of  lawns,  chil- 
dren playing  under  fine  old  trees,  and  swans  sailing 
majestically  with  other  water-fowl  on  the  clear  lakes. 
.  .  .  We  have  seen  nothing  to  be  compared  with  them 
except  at  Versailles." 

On  Saturday,  October  I5th,  they  went  out  to  Tot- 
tenham to  spend  the  Sunday  with  their  friends,  Rob- 
ert, Sarah,  and  Anne  Foster.  The  warm  atmosphere 
of  friendly  hospitality,  the  pretty  tea-table,  the  cheer- 
ful, home-like  fireside,  were  grateful  to  every  sense. 
"  Indeed,"  writes  Miss  M.  A.,  "  we  are  as  happy  as 
we  can  be  without  letters  from  home." 

Returning  to  London  for  one  more  day  of  visiting, 
sight-seeing,  and  shopping,  their  trunks  being  packed 
by  Breitschmidt  with  astonishing  skill  and  celerity, 
they  left  on  the  i8th  for  Norfolk,  to  visit,  by  invita- 
tion, some  members  of  the  Gurney  family  who  had 


AN  ENGLISH   VICARAGE. 


129 


been  absent  during  their  previous  stay  in  England. 
As  one  member  of  the  party  had  not  been  to  Earl- 
ham,  they  drove  directly  there  on  arriving  at  Nor- 
wich. 

"  The  weather  was  unusually  fine,  and  the  sunlight 
threw  the  loveliest  glow  over  the  smooth-shaven  lawn 
and  rich  woods.  I  had  hoped  to  see  the  garden 
'  chrysanthemumized,'  but  the  season  was  still  too 
early.  We  walked  through  the  house,  and  Mary 
was  delighted ;  then  casting  another  long,  lingering 
look  at  the  view  from  the  drawing-room  windows, — 
the  bridge,  the  fine  old  trees,  the  study  green,  etc., — 
we  returned  to  Norwich." 

The  same  afternoon  they  went  by  rail  to  Lowes- 
toft,  where  Rev.  Francis  Cunningham  was  waiting  to 
take  them  to  the  vicarage.  Mrs.  Cunningham  had 
long  been  familiar  to  them  by  name  and  character, 
as  well  as  intimate  association  with  a  brother  and 
sister  of  wider  fame, — Mrs.  Fry,  Sir  T.  Fowell  Bux- 
ton,  etc., — and  the  personal  meeting  was  full  of  inter- 
est. To  Mary  W.,  the  young  girl  of  the  party,  the 
whole  visit  in  Norfolk  and  the  familiar  intercourse 
with  people  she  had  known  only  in  books  was  like 
a  page  of  romance.  Perhaps  her  enthusiastic  descrip- 
tion may  give  something  of  the  impressions  of  the 
whole  party. 


1 3o 


MEMOIR   OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


"  It  was  quite  dark  when  we  reached  the  station 
at  Lowestoft;  but  before  the  doors  were  open  we 
heard  a  kind  voice  calling  our  names,  and  Francis 
Cunningham  made  himself  known  to  us,  conducted 
us  to  a  carriage  he  had  waiting,  and  soon  put  us 
down  at  the  door  of  one  of  the  most  delightful  and 
hospitable  mansions  in  England.  Mrs.  Cunningham, 
now  quite  feeble, — being  upwards  of  seventy,  yet 
stilt  retaining  an  energetic  and  active  mind, — came 
forward  with  such  a  welcome !  leading  us  into  the 
drawing-room,  a  picture  of  taste,  elegance,  and  com- 
fort. There  was  an  introduction  to  two  young  ladies, 
visitors — a  little  talk,  and  then  we  were  handed  over 
to  Mrs.  Taylor,  the  housekeeper,  who  showed  us  to 
our  apartments.  A  bright  fire  burned  in  each,  and 
every  luxury  a  queen  might  desire  was  ours  in  lovely 
Lowestoft." 

The  long  dinner  was  conversational,  animated,  and 
altogether  delightful;  so,  too,  the  evening  that  fol- 
lowed, "passed  in  the  bewitching  drawing- room,  look- 
ing over  Mrs.  Cunningham's  paintings  and  her  port- 
folio of  Swiss  sketches  taken  this  summer.  Tea  was 
served,  some  beautiful  hymns  sung,  Mrs.  C.  accom- 
panying them  on  the  piano ;  then  a  psalm  read,  and 
a  prayer  offered  for  us  and  all  belonging  to  us  by 
Mr.  C.,  who,  you  will  recollect,  is  a  clergyman,  and 
we  retired  very  late  to  our  lovely  chambers.  The 
view  of  the  German  Ocean  was  very  fine  in  the  bril- 
liant moonlight,  and  enjoying  this,  as  our  rooms  ad- 
joined, we  three  talked  over  the  memorable  events 
of  this  bright  day. 


NORTHREPPS.  ^j 

"Our  early  breakfast  was  served  in  another 
charming  drawing-room,  whose  noble  bay-window 
looked  abroad  over  the  sea,  yet  glowing  with  the 
tints  of  sunrise.  All  seemed  to  regret  our  brief  so- 
journ ;  even  the  servants  (most  of  them  old  family 
pieces  devoted  to  every  being  bearing  the  name 
of  Gurney)  thronged  about  us,  begging  to  have 
their  '  kind  duty'  carried  to  dear  Mrs.  Gurney  in 
America." 

Returning  to  Norwich,  a  charming  drive  of  twenty- 
one  miles  brought  them  to  Northrepps,  the  home  of 
another  sister  of  Mrs.  Fry,  the  dowager  Lady  Bux- 
ton,  widow  of  Sir  T.  F.  Buxton. 

"  Part  of  the  way,"  continues  the  same  lively 
young  writer,  "  lay  through  a  sporting  country  well 
known  to  Sir  Fowell  and  his  fleet  hunter,  and  the 
copses  and  furze,  ditches,  hedges,  and  five-barred 
gates  gave  us  an  excellent  idea  of  an  English  hunt- 
ing-ground. It  is  now  the  height  of  the  sporting 
season,  and  we  were  continually  on  the  lookout  for 

'  The  deer  sweeping  by,  the  hounds  in  full  cry, 
And  the  hunter's  horn  a  ringing.' 

"  We  started  up  numbers  of  beautiful  pheasants, 
and  I  delighted  to  people  the  scene  with  my  imagined 
idea  of  a  hunting  party,  but  that  was  the  only  kind 
we  were  favored  with.  At  the  end  of  this  lovely 
drive, — not  a  mile  too  long, — we  came  to  the  gate 


132 


MEMOIR   OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


of  the  park,  and  a  long,  beautiful  winding  carriage- 
way brought  us  to  the  door  of  Northrepps  Hall. 
Two  tall  footmen  handed  us  into  the  drawing-room, 
where  Lady  Buxton,  her  daughter  Richenda,  and 
daughter-in-law  Rachel  Gurney  Buxton  all  sat  en- 
gaged in  reading  and  sewing.  .  .  .  We  were  most 
courteously  received,  and  after  an  hour's  conversa- 
tion, lunch,  and  a  little  time  spent  in  playing  with 
Rachel  G.  Buxton's  sweet  little  flock  of  children, 
Lady  Buxton's  coach  was  brought  to  take  us  over 
to  Cromer." 

"  It  rained  so  heavily,"  the  diary  continues,  "  that 
we  could  not  alight  from  the  carriage  at  the  old 
Overstrand  Church,  but  we  saw  the  ancient  ruined 
chancel  overgrown  with  ivy,  and  had  a  glimpse  of 
the  tombs  of  Sir  T.  F.  Buxton  and  his  daughter 
Priscilla  Johnstone.  Our  visit  to  Northrepps  Cot- 
tage was  delightful, — Anna  Gurney  all  brightness 
and  kindness,  —  saw  her  drawing-room,  library, 
music-room,  etc.,  and  the  cockatoo.  She  wheeled 
herself  with  great  dexterity  to  the  hall  door  to  show 
us  her  little  greenhouse,  the  avenue  of  trees,  her 
rabbits  burrowing  on  the  hill-side,  etc.  .  .  .  The 
cottage  was  half  covered  with  ivy,  and  the  trees  very 
fine;  one,  a  copper  beech,  of  the  richest  orange 
color." 

Returning  to  London  on  the  2Oth  for  a  few  hours 
of  business,  final  packing,  etc.,  they  went  the  same 
day  to  Oxford. 


OXFORD. 


133 


"  It  was  a  fine,  bright  afternoon,  and  the  ride  was 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  we  have  had  in  England. 
The  autumnal  tints  of  the  foliage  were  almost  as 
brilliant  as  our  own:  rich  brown,  orange,  yellow,  but 
no  crimson.  We  had  a  distant  view  of  Windsor 
Castle,  passed  Herschel's  Observatory,  etc.,  reaching 
Oxford  at  dusk.  Heard  Great  Tom  ring  one  hun- 
dred and  one  times  for  one  hundred  and  one  students 
at  Christ  Church  College." 

The  next  morning  everything  was  shrouded  in 
mist  and  rain,  and  the  party  lost  all  the  delight  of 
rambling  down  the  famous  High  Street,  so  admired 
by  Macaulay,  and  among  the  beautiful  college  quad- 
rangles; even  the  fine  interiors,  the  treasures  of  the 
Bodleian  Library,  etc.,  could  scarcely  be  seen  to  ad- 
vantage, yet  something  of  all  within  and  without  was 
seen  and  thoroughly  enjoyed,  and  in  a  few  hours  they 
were  on  the  way  to  Warwick.  Here  was  a  new  con- 
tretemps,— a  death  had  lately  occurred  in  the  ducal 
family,  and  the  castle  was  closed  to  visitors  ;  only  an 
outside  view  of  the  imposing  battlemented  old  pile 
could  be  had,  and  of  all  its  feudal  heirlooms  they 
saw  only  the  armor,  punch-bowl,  etc.,  of  the  gigantic, 
half-fabulous  Guy,  Earl  of  Warwick ;  and  though  the 
elements  at  least  seem  to  have  been  propitious  to  the 
pleasant  drive  to  Kenilworth,  past  Guy's  Cliff,  etc.,  a 
great  storm  of  wind  and  rain  again  overtook  them  on 


134 


MEMOIR   OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


reaching  the  ruins.  After  all  the  one  thing  entirely 
satisfactory  in  this  celebrated  neighborhood  was  the 
"charming  shut-in  evening  spent  in  quiet  resting  at 
the  '  Warwick  Arms.'  " 

The  sisters  had  accepted  an  invitation  from  their 
friend  Mrs.  Braithwaite  to  visit  her  at  Kendal ;  and 
her  cordial  welcome  on  their  arrival,  Saturday  even- 
ing, October  23d,  the  circle  of  interesting  friends  as- 
sembled to  meet  them,  the  long  bright  supper-table, 
the  Sunday  that  followed  passed  in  congenial  fellow- 
ship, the  evening  spent  in  interesting  conversation, 
all  made  another  refreshing  break  in  these  last  busy 
days  of  sight-seeing. 

"  October  2^th. — Intended  to  leave  at  8  A.M.,  but 
heavy  rain  detained  us  till  after  lunch.  At  2  P.M. 
railroad  to  Winandermere.  Met  by  W.  Crewdson 
with  another  note  from  Wm.  Ball,  inviting  us  to  Glen 
Rothay.  Drive  round  the  head  of  the  lake  and  to 
Grasmere ;  stopped  at  the  church  to  see  the  graves 
of  Wordsworth  and  Coleridge.  Then  to  Fox  Howe, 
a  beautiful  home  near  Ambleside.  Saw  Dr.  Arnold's 
wife  and  three  of  his  children  as  we  were  leaving  for 
Glen  Rothway.  Beautiful  sunset. 

"  Nothing  could  exceed  the  cordial  kindness  of 
our  friends  Wm.  and  Anne  Ball ;  had  two  hours' 
pleasant  conversation  with  them  before  Wilson  and 
Margaret  Crewdson  came  with  their  daughters  Maria 
and  Fanny.  All  had  been  on  the  Continent,  and  were 


EDINBURGH, 


135 


much  interested  in  hearing  about  our  route.  They 
love  to  talk  of  the  Oberland,  Rosenlaui,  Spliigen,  etc. 

"  2$t/i. — The  view  from  the  drawing-room  windows 
this  morning  is  enchanting, — Rydal  Lake  and  islands, 
Loughrigg,  Knab  Scar ;  the  rich  autumnal  tints 
reflected  in  the  water,  and  contrasting  finely  with  the 
soft  green  lawn  and  evergreens.  Every  object  charm- 
ing, and  the  tout  ensemble  surpassingly  beautiful.  I 
could  have  looked  at  it  the  whole  day.  A  mirror 
opposite  the  bow-window  almost  doubles  the  effect. 
Delighted  with  drive  to  Keswick  and  around  Der- 
wentwater ;  beautiful  sunshine  lighted  up  the  bright 
foliage. 

"  Cowper  may  well  call  this  climate  '  deformed 
with  dripping  rains.'  Ventured,  however,  to  go  on  by 
the  side  of  Ulleswater  to  Patterdale.  Kirkstone  Pass 
very  wild,  reminding  us  of  St.  Bernardino ;  bare, 
stony,  steep  hill-sides,  mountain  rivulets,  and  after- 
wards beautiful  bright  foliage  covering  the  knolls  of 
the  mountains.  .  .  .  Reached  Edinburgh  at  9  P.M." 

Of  the  sisters'  visit  to  Macaulay's  "  three  most 
beautiful  cities  of  the  world," — Genoa,  Oxford,  Edin- 
burgh,— the  first  was  the  only  one  really  successful. 
The  northern  capital  now  certainly  justified  the  least 
flattering  of  its  many  sobriquets, — "  Auld  Reekie." 
For  the  entire  two  days  of  their  stay  Scotch  mists, 
proverbially  worse  even  than  English  fogs,  wrapped 
the  whole  city  and  its  beautiful  surroundings.  But 
it  was  a  glad  time  nevertheless,  for  some  of  the  un- 


136 


MEMOIR   OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


accountably  missing  home  letters  were  found  wait- 
ing for  them  at  their  hotel,  and  in  the  joy  of  good 
tidings  from  America  all  minor  disappointments 
were  forgotten. 

The  fine  masses  of  Salisbury  Crag  and  Arthur's 
Seat  rising  behind  Holyrood  were  hidden  in  the  fog, 
but  they  saw  the  ruined  chapel  whose  gable  and 
Gothic  windows  had  grown  so  familiar  in  the  well- 
worn  school  drawing-model,  and  close  by  the  little 
narrow,  dingy  rooms  of  the  old  palace,  the  scene  of 
so  large  a  part  of  the  romance  and  tragedy  of  Queen 
Mary's  history.  They  were  of  course  shown  the 
traditional  Rizzio  blood-stains  on  the  floor,  and  then 
suddenly  stepping  into  the  realities  of  modern  life, 
the  suite  of  apartments  occupied  by  Queen  Victoria 
on  her  way  to  Balmoral.  They  drove,  too,  through 
the  Canongate,  the  dark  old  tortuous  streets,  and 
grim,  toppling,  smoke-blackened  houses,  looking  still 
grimmer  and  blacker  in  the  dull  atmosphere;  but  of 
the  stately  and  picturesque  beauty  of  the  modern 
city  they  gained  little  idea  until  the  morning  of  their 
departure,  when  the  weather  cleared,  and  they  had  a 
really  fine  view  from  Calton  Hill. 

The  three  friends  were  to  sail  in  the  "  Baltic"  on 
November  2d.  The  few  days  intervening  were  filled 
with  farewell  visits  to  friends  in  and  near  Liverpool, 
a  brief  trip  to  the  old  town  of  Chester,  shopping  and 


A    WINTER    PASSAGE. 


137 


pack-ing,  the  faithful  courier  serving  them  with  affec- 
tionate zeal  to  the  very  last.  Full  and  satisfactory 
letters  from  home  again  cheered  them  on  the  eve  of 
the  voyage,  and  friendly  faces,  bidding  them  good- 
speed,  watched  them  as  they  pushed  from  the  docks. 
The  passage  was  rough,  and  Miss  Susan  seems  to 
have  been  the  only  member  of  the  party  who 
attempted  a  journal. 

"The  'Baltic'  did  not  feel  like  home  as  the  'Atlan- 
tic' would  have  done ;  state-room  very  far  from  the 
dining-saloon.  Strong  head-winds  induced  the  cap- 
tain to  take  the  north  channel,  and  we  lost  sight  of 
land  immediately. 

"Of  the  next  week  I  have  little  recollection,  except 
of  heavy  squalls,  wretched  headaches.  Generally  two 
hours  every  day  on  deck,  though  very  cold.  Captain 
very  polite,  desirous  of  making  us  comfortable;  set- 
tees placed  near  the  wheel-houses,  but  rough  seas 
and  high  winds  at  last  forbade  going  on  deck ;  for- 
ward deck  often  two  or  three  feet  under  water;  waves 
piled  almost  mountain  high ;  gale  at  one  time  so 
heavy  the  vessel  almost  stopped,  and  rolled  so  that 
we  could  not  sleep ;  very  weary  holding  fast  all  night. 

"  Wi. — Oh,  the  discomforts  of  a  winter  passage ! 
Cabin  cold  and  dreary ;  groups  of  disconsolate  beings 
on  deck  looking  as  if  anticipating  the  guillotine.  I  hope 
never  again  to  see  the  ocean  except  from  the  shore. 

"The  first  slight  diminution  of  the  pitching  relieved 
us  greatly.  G.  Parrish  and  Wm.  Hallowell  most  kind 

12* 


138 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


and  attentive ;  A.  Platt  very  kind,  always  ready  to 
serve  us;  she  and  her  husband  one  evening  brought 
milk  and  hot  water  all  the  way  from  the  dining-room 
to  our  state-room.  Elizabeth,  the  stewardess,  in  and 
out  like  a  flash. 

"  12th. — Still  very  rough,  but  wonderful  abatement 
in  sea-sickness.  Those  who  had  resolved  never  to  go 
to  sea  again  on  any  consideration,  now  say  what  they 
will  do  if  they  ever  try  it  again.  Some  one  inquired 
what  railroad  trains  had  come  in  during  the  night, 
passengers  began  to  appear  in  such  numbers  in  the 
dining-room.  Beautiful  singing  one  evening  by  one 
of  the  waiters. 

"A  large  party  did  justice  to  the  captain's  dinner; 
many  speeches  were  made  and  highly  applauded.  A 
subscription  had  been  taken  up  as  a  present  to  Captain 
Comstock  in  acknowledgment  of  his  devotion  to  his 
duties.  He  was  much  pleased,  and  made  a  very  good 
speech,  requesting  that  the  money  might  be  shared 
with  his  officers.  The  deck  was  afterwards  nearly 
filled  with  promenaders  enjoying  the  moonlight." 

They  reached  the  port  of  New  York  on  the  I4th. 
Many  friends  were  among  the  crowd  upon  the  pier 
to  welcome  them.  The  joy  of  meeting  needs  no 
description,  still  less  the  grateful  happiness  of  mother 
and  aunt,  when  an  unbroken  family  circle  once  more 
gathered  round  the  fireside  at  No.  3  North  Eleventh 
Street,  in  sober,  unpicturesque,  but  still  dear  and 
home-like  Philadelphia. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE   SECOND   SCHOOL. 

THE  succeeding  winter,  1853-54,  was  a  season  of 
comparative  rest.  Miss  Mary  Anna  was  committed 
to  no  school-engagement  of  any  kind,  but,  perhaps 
on  that  very  account,  felt  a  renewal  of  energy  and  a 
strong  impulse  to  begin  once  more  the  favorite  pur- 
suit of  her  life. 

The  following  sketch  of  this  period  is  given  by 
one  who  bore  an  intimate  share  in  the  labors  and 
successes  of  the  second  school,  and  was  at  all  times 
a  valued  and  trusted  aid  to  the  principal : 

"In  the  spring  of  1851  I  left  school,  having  been 
under  dear  Miss  Mary  Anna's  care  four  years,  pre- 
paring to  be  a  teacher.  Several  times  during  the 
last  year  she  had  spoken  of  giving  me  a  place  in 
her  school  after  a  while,  when  I  should  be  a  little 
older,  and  my  relations  with  '  the  girls'  a  little  less 
intimate.  A  year  later  Miss  M.  A.  closed  the  old 
school,  as  she  and  Miss  Susan  wished  to  spend  some 
months  in  Europe,  and  were  not  sure  of  being  back 
to  resume  their  duties  with  their  usual  punctuality. 

"  They  came  in  the  following  November,  and  from 


140 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


that  time  all  Miss  Mary  Anna's  thoughts  were  given 
to  the  small  school  of  young  girls  which  she  meant 
to  open  the  following  year.  The  main  object  of  this 
was  the  education  of  her  niece,  Anna  Morris,  but 
she  had  already,  even  in  those  few  months,  felt  the 
need  of  having  young  people  around  her. 

"The  new  school  was  opened  in  September,  1854, 
in  the  old  school-house  on  Cherry  Street.  At  first 
the  number  of  pupils  received  was  small,  and,  if  I 
remember  right,  Miss  Mary  Anna  and  I  were  the 
only  teachers  who  spent  the  whole  morning  there. 
There  were,  of  course,  other  teachers,  who  came  in 
by  the  hour.  Very  soon  the  number  of  pupils 
increased,  and  then  Hannah  Shipley  joined  us. 
'Teacher  Hannah'  the  girls  called  her,  and  it  would 
have  been  impossible  to  find  a  better  assistant,  for 
both  teacher  and  pupils. 

"  Hannah  and  I  were  nearer  the  age  of  the  girls, 
and  might  naturally  have  been  supposed  to  be 
able  to  sympathize  more  heartily  with  all  their  little 
troubles  than  Miss  Mary  Anna  could,  but  she  really 
was  the  centre  of  everything;  teachers  as  well  as 
pupils  felt  her  wise  and  loving  rule.  Our  position 
was  always  perfectly  defined, — a  certain  and  dignified 
one.  There  was  no  doubt  in  our  minds,  when  giv- 
ing a  well-deserved  reproof  to  some  delinquent  child, 
as  to  whether  we  should  be  upheld.  No  politic  fear 
of  giving  offence  to  an  influential  pupil  ever  led 
Miss  Mary  Anna  to  reverse  our  decisions.  She  had 
chosen  us  with  care,  believing  us  fitted  for  the  posi- 
tions to  which  she  assigned  us.  The  result  was  that 


THE  FILBERT  STREET  SCHOOL.  j^j 

the  discipline  and  order  in  our  classes  was  as  good 
as  in  her  own.  I  have  often  been  struck  with  this 
in  later  years  on  hearing  of  the  troubles  of  assistant 
teachers  in  large  schools,  where  they  are  too  often 
looked  upon  as  mere  drudges.  In  this,  as  in  every 
other  particular,  she  showed  her  wisdom,  her  clear 
head,  and  her  power  of  seeing  both  sides  of  a  ques- 
tion. She  will  always  stand  out  in  the  minds  of  those 
who  had  the  high  privilege  of  knowing  her  well,  as 
a  marvellous  example  of  a  woman,  brought  up  with 
a  strictness  which  in  these  days  might  almost  be 
called  narrow,  whose  natural  liberality  enabled  her 
to  rise  superior  to  those  limitations. 

"  It  was  in  the  third  or  fourth  year  of  this  school 
that  the  Cherry  Street  premises  first  seemed  too 
small.  In  the  old  days  the  number  of  pupils  was 
limited  to  forty-four  girls  ;  now  there  were  sixty,  with 
constant,  earnest  entreaties  from  eager  parents  that 
the  number  might  be  increased.  The  corps  of 
teachers,  too,  was  constantly  enlarged.  Whenever 
Miss  Mary  Anna  heard  of  a  first-rate  teacher  in  any 
branch  of  study,  she  always  tried  to  give  her  pupils 
the  benefit  of  his  or  her  instruction,  regardless  of 
the  cost.  She  has  often  told  me  that  when  the  ex- 
penses of  the  school  were  paid,  she  meant  to  give 
away  the  profits. 

"In  the  autumn  of  1857,  Miss  Mary  Anna  rented 
the  large  house  at  the  corner  of  Filbert  and  Juniper 
Streets.  The  school  was  moved  there  during  the 
Christmas  holidays,  ready  for  the  beginning  of  Janu- 
ary, 1858.  Elizabeth  Coonis,  an  elderly  and  very 


142 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


respectable  colored  woman,  with  her  family,  lived  in 
the  back  buildings.  She  not  only  acted  as  janitress, 
but  cooked  every  day  sundry  biscuits,  tarts,  and 
cakes,  which  were  temptingly  spread  out  on  a  neat 
table  at  half-past  eleven  o'clock,  that  the  girls  might 
buy  their  luncheon  of  her  instead  of  going  to  a 
neighboring  pastry-cook  to  find  something  much 
less  wholesome  and  less  carefully  prepared.  This 
was  only  another  instance  of  Miss  Mary  Anna's 
thoughtful  care  for  her  pupils'  bodies  as  well  as  their 
minds. 

"  The  rest  of  the  house  was  mainly  occupied  by 
the  school.  There  were  two  large  school-rooms  in 
the  second  story,  the  same  in  the  third,  beside  two  in 
the  second  story  of  the  back  buildings.  The  fourth 
story  was  fitted  up  with  bars,  ropes,  mattresses,  and 
other  gymnastic  paraphernalia.  Here,  for  a  slight 
additional  charge,  the  pupils  whose  parents  wished  it 
had  the  benefit  of  the  best  gymnastic  instruction. 

"  It  has  been  objected  by  some  people,  and  indeed 
I  think  by  a  large-minded  and  very  learned  physician 
among  others,  that  Miss  Mary  Anna  expected  too 
close  application,  too  severe  a  mental  strain  from  her 
pupils,  but  I  am  quite  sure  that  no  unprejudiced  per- 
son who  really  understood  her  system  could  have 
believed  such  a  thing.  She  gave  her  strong  voice 
for  the  '  higher  education  of  women'  in  its  highest 
sense,  and  believed  that  intellectual  improvement 
should  not  fill  more  than  its  own  share  of  the  girls' 
time.  Rational  amusement  and  healthful  exercise 
she  always  encouraged ;  but  she  could  not  bear  to 


ASSISTANT  TEACHERS.  ^3 

see  time  wasted  in  dawdling  and  frivolity.  In  her 
scheme  of  life  there  was  no  time  for  such  things. 
Each  child  was  carefully  considered,  that  the  weak 
might  not  be  strained  in  the  effort  to  keep  up  with 
the  strong,  and  at  the  monthly  teachers'  meetings 
each  pupil's  capabilities  were  discussed,  so  that  every 
girl  might  be  fairly  placed. 

"  No  one  could  have  held  to  her  own  opinions 
with  less  pertinacity  than  Miss  Mary  Anna.  She 
listened  with  respect  to  the  humblest  among  her 
teachers,  and  accepted  their  views  and  amendments 
whenever  they  were  really  good.  Indeed,  when  I 
look  back  to  those  days  when  I  had  the  happiness  of 
being  always  near  her,  I  am  surprised  afresh  with 
the  humility  and  large  generosity  for  the  feelings 
and  opinions  of  others  that  she  invariably  showed. 
In  all  the  years  that  I  was  working  under  her  she 
never  spoke  sharply  or  impatiently  to  me^  though  I 
know  I  must  often  have  deserved  it.  She  had  the 
happy  gift  of  being  able  to  draw  the  best  out  of  all,  of 
making  them,  for  the  time  at  least,  what  she  wished. 

'  She  never  found  fault  with  you,  never  implied 
Your  wrong  by  her  right,  and  yet  men  at  her  side 
Grew  nobler,  girls  purer,  as  though  the  whole  town, 
E'en  the  children,  were  gladder  who  plucked  at  her  gown.' 

"  And  now,  alas !  we  can  only  look  back.  The 
gentle  face  and  sympathetic  voice  are  lost  to  us  on 
this  earth,  and  we  can  only  ask  God's  blessing  on  the 
faithful  work  of  our  dear  friend  and  teacher,  and 
strive  to  walk  in  her  footsteps,  making  ourselves,  with 


144 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


God's   help,  such  as  she  would   have   wished   and 
approved. 

"M.  L.  Moss." 


In  1864  the  faithful  mother,  who  through  a  life- 
time of  frail  health  had,  nevertheless,  says  Miss 
Susan,  "  looked  well  to  the  ways  of  her  household," 
began  visibly  to  decline.  In  the  early  summer  of 
1865  she  was  taken  to  the  home  of  some  kind 
friends  in  the  country,  with  a  faint  hope  that  the 
change  of  air  and  the  freedom  from  all  city  noise 
and  excitement  might  revive  her.  But  the  end  was 
already  near,  and  in  a  few  weeks,  with  only  her  three 
daughters  by  her  bedside,  she  quietly  passed  away. 
For  years  her  daughter  Susan  had  been  her  especial 
and  untiring  attendant,  but  all  her  children  were  de- 
voted to  her  comfort,  and  never  left  her  long  at  a 
time.  She  was  a  woman  of  unusual  purity  and 
truthfulness,  combined  with  the  greatest  humility  of 
character. 

The  school  now  numbered  nearly  ninety  pupils, 
with  twenty-seven  teachers,  only  six  of  whom,  how- 
ever, were  employed  all  the  time.  They  were  so 
well  trained  and  so  conscientious  in  the  fulfilment  of 
their  duties  that  Miss  Longstreth,  who  again  felt  the 
need  of  a  longer  rest  than  the  ordinary  vacation 
afforded,  was  able  to  leave  them  for  a  time,  and  ac- 


MERRICK  STREET.  ^5 

cordingly  joined  her  brother  and  sister,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Israel  Morris,  with  a  party  of  nephews,  nieces, 
and  friends,  in  a  second  visit  to  Europe.  The  route 
taken  was  much  the  same  as  that  in  1853,  except 
that  more  time  was  given  to  Holland,  and  a  brief 
visit  paid  to  Rome.  On  the  return  late  in  November, 
after  a  delightful  and  refreshing  summer,  Miss  Mary 
Anna  received  a  welcome  from  the  school  that  deeply 
gratified  her.  She  had  given  as  a  watch-word  in  her 
absence  one  of  her  favorite  mottoes :  "  Not  slothful 
in  business,  fervent  in  spirit,  serving  the  Lord,"  and 
these  words,  formed  in  evergreens  on  the  walls  of 
the  school-rooms,  were  a  pleasant  greeting  to  her 
eyes,  while  she  had  every  evidence  that  both  teachers 
and  pupils  had  earnestly  tried  to  act  upon  them. 

In  1867  the  property  at  the  corner  of  Filbert  and 
Juniper  Streets  being  needed  as  part  of  the  site  of 
the  new  Masonic  Temple,  the  school  was  removed 
to  Merrick  Street,  still  conveniently  near  to  Miss 
Longstreth's  residence.  The  neighborhood  has  since 
so  completely  changed  that  it  is  difficult  to  fancy  the 
four  Penn  squares,  with  their  fresh  grass  and  groves 
of  trees,  where  the  great  pile  of  white  marble  Public 
Buildings  now  rises;  and  opposite,  facing  this  wooded 
enclosure,  the  row  of  pleasant  old-fashioned  dwelling- 
houses,  torn  down  in  1880  to  be  replaced  by  the 
Broad  Street  Station  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 

13 


146 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


Company.  It  was  in  one  of  these  houses  that  the 
steadily  enlarging  school  was  established.  The 
methods,  as  well  as  the  scale  on  which  the  sisters 
had  started  forty  years  earlier,  were  now  greatly 
modified.  One  who  was  thoroughly  familiar  with 
the  school  at  this  its  latest  stage  gives  the  following 
account : 

"  For  more  than  ten  years  it  was  the  writer's  privi- 
lege to  see  and  note  daily  the  care  that  was  taken 
to  make  all  things  work  smoothly  in  the  grooves  of 
school-life,  and  among  the  many  memories  of  those 
days  it  seems  best  to  cull  those  that  may  aid  other 
teachers  in  making  their  own  lives,  as  well  as  those 
of  their  pupils,  happier,  better,  and  more  successful. 

"One  especial  feature  was  the  sewing-classes,  which 
met  once  a  week.  The  younger  girls  began  by  learn- 
ing how  to  overseam  patch-work  pieces  of  bright 
new  calico,  then  they  were  promoted  to  making  arti- 
cles of  underwear  destined  for  the  children  of  the 
'  Foster  Home/  or  some  other  institution ;  after  that 
followed  finer  work,  all  intended  for  purposes  of 
charity.  The  materials  for  this  work  were  furnished 
by  M.  A.  Longstreth  herself;  the  pupils  sometimes 
carrying  the  little  finished  garments  to  the  children 
of  the  '  Home,'  that  they  might  be  encouraged  not 
only  in  their  sewing,  but  in  taking  an  interest  in  work 
for  the  poor.  The  last  year  in  the  sewing-class  they 
filled  a  folio  with  samples  of  their  own  handiwork, 
button-holes  in  colored  silks,  darning,  hemstitching, 


SE  WING-CLASSES. 


147 


etc.  How  many  mothers  have  laid  away  those  blue- 
lined  books,  to  be  brought  out  to  show  their  own 
little  daughters  what  mamma  did  when  she  was  a 
girl  at  school !  We  recall  one  instance  of  a  pupil 
who  at  home  had  earned  an  unpleasant  sobriquet 
on  account  of  her  carelessness  in  handling  her 
needle ;  but  one  day  an  extra  effort  on  her  part  pro- 
duced some  neat  hemming;  commendation  was 
given,  a  fresh  impetus  received,  and  the  needle  now 
to  that  woman  is  a  familiar  and  skilfully-handled 
instrument. 

"  While  the  classes  were  busy  with  their  sewing, 
they  recited  in  turn  a  poem,  or  part  of  a  poem ;  then 
followed  reading  by  the  teacher  from  some  interest- 
ing book.  The  ban  of  silence  was  removed  from  the 
sewing-classes,  and  the  character  of  those  half-days 
was  more  social  than  could  be  possible  during  the 
usual  sessions  of  the  school.  Opportunity  was  thus 
afforded  for  the  discussion  of  difficulties  viewed  from 
the  stand-point  of  the  pupil,  or,  as  sometimes  occurred, 
the  poetry  or  the  reading  suggested  some  topic  for 
a  few  minutes'  talk  by  the  teacher  upon  the  motives 
and  actions  of  lifr,  for  which  there  was  little  leisure 
on  other  days  of  the  week. 

"  Spelling  was  a  strong  point  with  Mary  Anna 
Longstreth,  and  in  teaching  it  she  pursued  a  plan 
which  we  believe  was  original  with  her.  A  certain 
number  of  words  from  the  spelling-book  was  assigned 
as  the  lesson ;  at  the  hour  appointed  the  teacher  dic- 
tated the  words  to  the  class.  The  books  were  then 
collected,  the  exercise  looked  over,  each  misspelled 


I48     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

word  marked,  and  the  number  of  them  noted  at  the 
foot  of  the  column.  Nearly  all  the  classes  spelled 
three  times  during  the  week.  The  following  week 
the  pupil  copied  all  her  misspelled  words  correctly, 
writing  each  one  three  times  for  five  days  in  the  week, 
making  altogether  fifteen  times  that  she  was  obliged 
to  correct  each  error.  An  account  was  taken  of  every 
misspelled  word,  and  these  words  were  added  to 
every  new  lesson. 

"  The  Europe  classes  were  another  especial  feature. 
Gradually  finding  how  useful  and  entertaining  this 
mode  of  instruction  was  becoming,  Miss  Mary  Anna 
extended  it,  devoting  one  or  two  hours  every  week 
to  imaginary  journeys,  aided  by  maps,  photographs, 
guide-books,  and  her  own  personal  recollections. 
Those  who  had  already  been  to  Europe  frequently 
rejoined  their  old  classes  in  order  to  refresh  their 
memories  ;  those  who  contemplated  a  trip  came  to 
learn  the  best  way  of  going,  the  things  most  worthy 
of  seeing,  and  how  to  enjoy  them  intelligently.  The 
instruction  was  not  merely  of  the  guide-book  order. 
One  drifted,  in  imagination,  down  the  Rhine,  while 
the  long  map  of  the  winding  river  lay  outspread 
upon  the  table,  and  the  legends  of  the  castles,  the 
plans  of  the  fortifications,  etc.,  were  explained.  She 
also  planned  home  reading  on  the  coming  lessons, 
and  any  fresh  description  from  those  who  had  lately 
visited  Europe  was  always  listened  to  with  atten- 
tion.* 

"E.  B.  R." 

*  Taken  from  "  The  Student"  for  November,  1885. 


HISTORICAL  LECTURES. 


149 


Dr.  Lord,  who  once  before  had  given  historical 
lectures  in  the  Cherry  Street  school,  was  again 
engaged  for  two  other  courses.  The  pupils  were 
required  to  make  as  full  an  abstract  as  possible  of 
each  lecture,  refreshing  their  memory  as  to  dates, 
epochs,  etc.,  by  reference  to  any  historical  authorities 
they  wished.  It  was  an  admirable  exercise  in  compo- 
sition as  well  as  in  history,  and  developed  a  power  of 
listening  with  concentration  which  was  invaluable. 

In  1876  especial  attention  was  given  to  the  history 
of  those  countries  which  contributed  to  the  Centen- 
nial Exhibition,  their  geography,  material  resources, 
progress  in  science,  art,  etc. 

Visitors  were  rarely  admitted  to  listen  to  a  recita- 
tion, and  the  whole  system  of  public  examinations 
was  discountenanced.  Miss  Longstreth  believed 
that  such  exhibitions  not  only  encourage  a  love  of 
display,  but  that  the  most  faithful  and  intelligent 
students  are  often  too  timid  under  such  an  ordeal 
to  do  themselves  justice.  She  had  her  own  views, 
or  rather  her  most  serious  convictions,  about  a 
higher  education  for  women,  and  if  she  succeeded 
in  giving  a  lofty  moral  impulse  to  the  character,  and 
implanting  a  taste  for  all  that  would  dignify  and 
ennoble  a  woman's  life,  her  aim  was  satisfied. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

RETROSPECT. 

As  the  school  enlarged  and  teachers  were  multi- 
plied, there  was  naturally  less  and  less  intimate  in- 
tercourse between  the  principal  and  her  scholars.  In 
the  earlier  days  Miss  Mary  Anna  was  like  a  mother  in 
the  midst  of  her  family.  The  book  lessons  were  sec- 
ondary ;  it  was  the  atmosphere  of  the  school,  a  name- 
less something  pervading  it,  which  subdued  and  soft- 
ened the  least  impressible,  and  made  even  the  most 
thoughtless  more  ashamed  of  a  rude  inconsiderate 
word  or  selfish  action  than  of  the  faultiest  recitation. 

A  pupil  of  the  old  Cherry  Street  period,  when  both 
sisters  were  in  their  vigorous  prime,  thus  writes  : 

"  It  was  my  happy  lot  to  be  a  scholar  at  Miss 
Longstreth's  in  the  palmy  days  before  '  Miss  Susan" 
left  the  school,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  separate  the 
two  sisters  in  my  reminiscences. 

"  Memory  calls  up  their  school-room  in  the  old 
Cherry  Street  house,  simple  in  its  appointments,  but 
always  light  and  cheerful,  where  at  either  end  a  cosey 
circle  gathered  around  them.  Happy  the  girls  who 
could  sit  nearest ! 
150 


UNDERCURRENT  OF  TEACHING.  j  5  T 

"  Before  the  school  began,  as  '  Miss  Mary  Anna' 
opened  the  large  Bible,  her  eyes  would  sometimes 
rest  with  special  interest  upon  some  one  of  the 
scholars  whose  mother  or  sister  was  an  invalid  ;  and 
she  would  inquire  so  kindly  after  the  welfare  of 
these,  that  the  whole  school  shared  the  solicitude, 
and  a  bond  of  sympathy  was  established  between 
teachers  and  scholars.  Thus  she  gave  a  living  com- 
mentary upon  the  Scripture  which  she  was  about  to 
read,  emphasizing  the  love  which  was  its  central 
teaching. 

"  And  trying  to  find  the  secret  of  the  power  of 
this  school,  I  think  it  lay  just  here,  in  the  gracious 
influences  of  Christian  sympathy  and  kindness  so  be- 
nignly exercised,  and  permeating  the  whole  system 
of  its  education.  Beneath  the  book-lore  was  a  con- 
stant undercurrent  of  teaching  such  as  no  books  can 
give.  Surely  we  all  remember  the  lessons  from  the 
lips  that  were  so  dear  to  us, — lessons  of  courtesy  and 
consideration,  gentleness  and  refinement,  which  went 
far  to  make  up  our  character,  and  have  blessed  us  all 
our  lives.  The  kindly  amenities,  so  seldom  practised 
toward  each  other  by  thoughtless  school-girls,  were 
here  found  to  have  their  root  in  Christian  charity, 
which  struck  deeper  and  brought  forth  better  fruit 
than  mere  conventional  politeness. 

"  In  later  years  my  relations  with  M.  A.  L.  changed 
somewhat,  when  she  took  me  into  her  school  as 
teacher,  and  I  came  to  know  and  value  her  as  a 
friend.  If  it  were  possible  without  drawing  aside  the 
veil  of  personal  history,  I  should  here  record  more 


1 5 2     MEMOIR  OF  MA RY  A NNA  L ONGS TRE TH. 

fully  her  unfailing  kindness  and  forbearance.  And 
through  all  the  years  that  followed,  her  heart  was 
ever  ready  to  enter  into  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  my 
life,  prompting  deeds  of  thoughtful  kindness  at  the 
needful  hour.  This,  doubtless,  is  the  experience  of 
hundreds  who  would  like  to  testify  of  it  if  they  had 
the  opportunity.  I  am  glad  to  say  it  for  them. 

"To  the  third  and  fourth  generation  her  sympa- 
thies went  out ;  and  she  loved  to  count  the  hundreds 
of  '  children'  and  '  grandchildren'  whose  weddings  she 
had  been  invited  to  attend. 

"  Nor  were  her  interests  bounded  by  those  whom 
she  had  done  so  much  to  educate.  Beyond  her  per- 
sonal sphere  of  influence  we  all  know  how  widely 
they  extended.  But  I  leave  to  other  hands  to  com- 
memorate the  active  benevolences  which  brightened 
her  declining  years,  and  left  so  many  to  mourn  her 
loss.  From  north  and  south,  east  and  west,  come 
words  of  grateful  love  from  the  recipients  of  her 
bounties,  as  other  races  and  other  generations  rise 
up  to  call  her  '  blessed.' 

"ANNA  SHIPLEY." 

On  the  first  page  of  the  little  note-book  in  which 
Miss  Longstreth  kept  a  memorandum  of  her  wide- 
reaching  private  as  well  as  public  charities  is  a  list 
of  texts  inculcating  systematic  almsgiving.  All  these 
texts  we  recognize  as  those  she  most  sought  to  im- 
press upon  her  girls.  The  memory  of  every  one 
who  ever  attended  the  school  must  be  full  of  them. 


REMINISCENCES. 


153 


"  Give  to  the  Lord  of  thy  substance,  and  of  the  first- 
fruits  of  all  thine  increase."  "  Give  to  him  that  ask- 
eth  thee,  and  from  him  that  would  borrow  of  thee 
turn  not  thou  away."  Modern  organized  charity, 
no  longer  allowing  these  words  as  the  plea  of  mere 
indolent  money-giving,  has  at  once  widened  and 
deepened  their  meaning,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that 
many  a  noble-hearted  woman,  now  full  of  ardor  in 
this  great  cause,  has  found  in  them  her  best  inspira- 
tion. They  have  taught  her  to  give  not  only  of  her 
silver  and  gold,  and  that  with  no  niggard  hand,  but 
her  time,  her  energies  of  mind  and  body;  in  short, 
the  best  first-fruits  of  all  she  has  and  is.  One  whose 
life  well  carries  out  these  early  teachings  thus 
gratefully  acknowledges  their  influence  : 

"  September  I5th,  1885. 

"  It  is  difHcult  to  crystallize  into  words  the  mem- 
ories of  a  friend  whose  influence  has  permeated  the 
thoughts  and  acts  of  a  life  now  reaching  far  into 
mature  womanhood.  I  am  nevertheless  grateful  to 
be  able  to  add  my  tribute  to  one  who  was  teacher 
in  years  gone  by,  but  who  through  a  long  series 
since  has  been  a  familiar  counsellor. 

"  Outside  of  the  home-circle,  the  incentive  to  a 
cultivation  of  the  intellectual  powers  with  the  stimu- 
lus to  right  thinking  and  right  acting  came  from 
her.  Her  spirit  was  quiet  and  unobtrusive,  but  it 
vitalized  the  spiritual  natures  of  those  committed  to 


'54 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA   LONGSTRETH. 


her,  and  a  temptation  to  turn  aside  from  a  strict  con- 
scientiousness or  obedience  to  the  Divine  Will  was 
met  with  strengthening  words  of  admonition  and 
help. 

"  She  realized  that  education  was  not  only  accu- 
mulated knowledge  but  the  building  and  develop- 
ment of  character.  To  this  end  she  bent  all  her 
energies ;  with  what  success  may  be  judged  by  the 
many  gifted  and  excellent  women,  once  her  pupils, 
now  the  acknowledged  responsible  workers  and 
leaders  in  religious,  charitable  and  educational  fields. 
Her  own  simplicity  of  character  and  singleness  of 
purpose  made  her  unconscious  of  her  power,  but 
even  now,  when  I  am  called  to  a  decision  requiring 
wise  judgment,  or  a  duty  involving  some  sacrifice  of 
feeling,  and  at  times  with  a  consciousness  that  it  may 
not  have  the  seal  of  many  whose  approbation  would 
be  dear,  I  find  myself  inwardly  querying,  '  Would 
Miss  Mary  Anna  give  her  approval  ?'  So  closely 
does  our  childhood  hedge  us  round. 

"  Her  tenderness  for  those  whose  church  relations 
differed  from  her  own  made  a  deep  impression  upon 
me  when  a  girl.  If  any  disposition  was  shown 
among  the  pupils,  to  criticise  another  because  of  a 
different  faith,  the  earnest  reprimand  was  given  to 
the  effect,  that  an  earthly  tribunal  was  not  the  one 
where  such  should  be  arraigned.  Generous  in  her 
own  estimate  of  others,  her  example  was  reflected 
in  the  young  people  round  her,  and  the  exceptional 
girl  felt  guarded  from  thoughtless  reproach  and  con- 
fident of  her  respect. 


HER   POWER  AS  A    TEACHER. 


155 


"This  consideration  for  the  views  of  others  calmed 
the  excitement  of  rival  partisanship  when  politics 
became  the  theme  for  discussion,  which  often  ran 
high  as  an  approaching  election  excited  the  minds 
of  the  young  girl  pupils  as  well  as  the  community 
abroad. 

"  I  love  to  dwell  upon  the  cordial  morning  greet- 
ing, the  sympathetic  word,  the  encouraging  look 
that  helped  us  through  many  a  hard  day,  and  the 
grateful  '  Well  done'  when  the  allotted  task  was  ac- 
complished. Again  and  again  have  they  come  back 
fresh  and  helpful  in  the  more  serious  duties  of  life, 
and  doubtless  will  so  continue,  although  the  loving 
face  may  now  no  longer  smile  its  welcome  nor  the 
voice  utter  its  words  of  cheer. 

"  As  a  teacher,  her  strength  was  not  in  the  amount 
of  knowledge  at  her  command,  nor  her  cleverness 
in  imparting  it,  but  in  her  ability  to  inspire  her 
pupils  with  a  desire  to  know — the  secret  of  all  true 
teaching. 

"  As  a  friend,  it  was  no  transient  feeling,  but  a 
deep,  abiding  interest  that  followed  us  into  the  varied 
experiences  of  life.  Personally  I  have  an  unques- 
tioning assurance  that  her  love  continued  to  the  end. 
It  is  a  rare  privilege  to  be  the  recipient  of  such  stead- 
fast affection.  Let  us  hope  that  to  appreciate  it  and 
continue  worthy  of  it  will  not  be  an  ungrateful  aim. 

"  My  school-life  was  a  perpetual  pleasure  in  her 
presence  and  that  of  the  dear  sister,  '  Miss  Susan,' 
whom  I  can  never  disassociate  in  all  that  is  connected 
with  those  happy  days.  I  am  sure  they  have  both 


i56 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


been  thankful  for  the  blessing  intrusted  to  them, — 
that  of  giving  brightness  and  courage  to  many  hearts 
as  years  brought  either  joys  or  sorrows. 

"  The  golden  setting  of  their  own  lives  in  resigna- 
tion and  patient  waiting  until  the  service  shall  have 
ended,  is  the  fulfilment  of  all  that  has  gone  before. 
Its  peace  rests  on  us  as  a  benediction. 

"  ANNA   HALLOWELL." 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

CLOSE   OF  SCHOOL-LIFE. 

IN  1847,  when  Miss  Longstreth  had  already  been 
teaching  twenty  years,  she  wrote  in  her  diary, 
"  Could  I  have  but  health  and  strength,  how  gladly 
would  I  commence  another  term  of  twenty  years !" 
The  wish  had  been  realized  beyond  her  utmost  hope, 
for  to  the  twice  twenty  years  ten  more  had  now  been 
added. 

Almost  from  the  beginning  of  her  school  career 
she  had  acted  upon  the  advice  of  a  long  experienced 
teacher  never  to  visit  schools  in  the  vacation,  but  as 
far  as  possible  to  give  her  mind  a  rest  from  the  one 
absorbing  subject.  For  thirty  consecutive  years  she 
spent  her  summers  at  Newport,  where  the  air  seemed 
just  the  specific  she  needed.  She  would  arrive  early 
in  July,  always  more  or  less  worn  by  the  pressure  of 
closing  school  in  the  city  heat  of  June,  to  find  a 
second  home  in  the  same  quiet,  well-kept  house  on 
the  Bay-side.  A  large  and  familiar  circle  surrounded 
her  there, — brothers  and  sisters,  nieces,  nephews,  and 
friends.  The  children  were  her  especial  favorites. 


I58 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


The  soft  sea-breezes,  the  pleasant  sailing  excursions, 
the  beautiful  and  varied  drives,  combined  with  this 
genial  social  atmosphere,  acted  with  magical  effect. 
After  a  short  interval  she  usually  began  to  arrange 
classes,  etc.,  for  the  following  autumn.  But  for  sev- 
eral years  even  this  had  become  an  effort  to  her,  and 
now  that  her  working-day  had  rounded  a  full  half- 
century,  she  felt  that  the  evening-time  of  rest  had 
come.  The  letter  in  which  she  formally  announced 
her  resignation  tells  its  own  story : 

"  PHILADELPHIA,  6mo.  I5th,  1877. 
"  MY  BELOVED  PUPILS  : 

"The  time  has  at  last  arrived  when  the  failure  of 
my  strength  compels  me  to  give  up  the  work  to 
which  I  have  devoted  my  life.  Far  from  being  joy- 
ful at  the  prospect  of  release  from  labor,  the  prevail- 
ing feeling  of  my  heart  is  that  of  pain  at  the  severing 
of  the  connection  which  has  bound  us  together  so 
happily.  Although  you  will  no  longer  be  under  my 
daily  care,  I  shall  not  cease  to  feel  sincerely  inter- 
ested in  your  happiness,  and  you  will  find  me  always 
ready  to  serve  you  in  any  way  in  my  power.  Gladly 
would  I,  if  my  health  permitted,  continue  to  be  your 
guide  in  study;  but  you  will  find  competent  teachers, 
who  will  satisfactorily  complete  your  school  educa- 
tion. Be  faithful  to  them,  I  entreat  you ;  be  faithful 
to  yourselves;  be  faithful  to  Him  who  holds  you 
responsible  for  the  talents,  the  time,  and  the  op- 
portunities of  improvement  which  He  gives  you. 


LETTER    TO  HER  PUPILS. 


159 


Whether  your  gifts  be  few  or  many,  endeavor  as 
good  stewards,  by  earnest  application  and  persevering 
industry,  to  improve  the  trusts  confided  to  you. 
May  you  be  enabled  to  render  your  final  accounts 
with  joy,  and  receive  the  blessed  sentence,  '  Well 
done,  good  and  faithful  servant :  enter  thou  into  the 
joy  of  thy  Lord.' 

"Your  work,  the  work  of  youth,  is  preparation 
for  future  usefulness,  by  the  improvement  and  disci- 
pline of  your  intellectual  powers,  the  acquisition  of 
knowledge,  and  the  formation  of  good  habits.  And, 
although  the  cultivation  of  the  mind  does  not  end 
with  school-days,  but  is  to  be  continued  through  life, 
now,  while  you  are  free  from  the  cares  of  woman- 
hood, is  the  golden  period  for  storing  the  memory, 
and  laying  a  foundation  broad  and  deep,  on  which  a 
steady  and  permanent  superstructure  may  hereafter 
be  erected.  Labor  is  the  price  of  every  valuable 
acquisition.  Be  willing,  then,  to  pay  it.  Learn  thor- 
oughly what  you  attempt  to  learn.  Though  it  is 
desirable  that  your  information  should  be  general  and 
varied,  it  need  not  be  superficial.  However  little 
may  be  the  amount  of  knowledge  which  you  possess 
on  any  one  subject,  let  that  little  be  correct  and 
thorough.  Investigate,  compare,  reflect ;  form  habits 
of  accuracy,  attention,  and  patient  research;  acquire 
the  power  of  concentrating  and  controlling  your 
thoughts.  Do  not  be  afraid  of  difficulties.  Let 
your  standard  be  high,  and  your  motto  Excelsior. 
If  your  object  be  the  highest  improvement  of  the 
mental  gifts  of  your  Creator,  for  the  purpose  of  fit- 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

ting  yourselves  to  accomplish  the  work  which  He 
has  placed  you  here  to  perform,  you  cannot  fail  to 
derive  enjoyment  both  from  the  pursuit  and  the 
possession  of  knowledge.  A  well-stored  mind,  a 
refined  taste,  a  love  for  all  that  is  beautiful,  grand, 
and  noble,  are  excellent  preservatives  against  frivolity, 
dissipation,  and  idleness. 

"  But  it  is  not  only  in  your  intellectual  improve- 
ment that  I  feel  a  deep  interest.  Your  moral  welfare 
is  of  still  greater  moment.  For  whether  the  sphere 
in  which  you  are  called  to  move  be  large  or  small, 
you  have  an  important  mission  to  fulfil. 

"The  secret  silent  influence  of  woman  all  confess; 
In  humble  cot  or  princely  hall,  to  injure  or  to  bless, 
Her  influence  is  a  sacred  trust  from  Him  who  reigns  above, 
A  gift  bestowed  that  she  may  aid  His  purposes  of  love. 

How  responsible  are  the  possessors  of  this  gift ! 
How  important  that  it  should  always  be  exerted  on 
the  right  side!  It  is  not  so  much  by  direct  instruc- 
tion, by  counsel  or  rebuke,  that  woman  is  to  do  good, 
as  by  exhibiting  the  loveliness  of  the  Christian  graces, 
by  diffusing  the  light  of  a  correct  example,  and  main- 
taining a  consistent  character,  harmonious  in  itself, 
and  attractive  to  others.  Our  first  duty,  then,  is  to 
labor  in  the  vineyard  of  our  own  hearts ;  for  if  the 
tree  be  good,  its  fruits  will  be  good.  We  must 
practise  self-denial,  meekness,  gentleness,  consider- 
ation for  others  in  the  hourly  acts  of  life,  and  mani- 
fest that  love  which  seeks  not  its  own  interest,  but 
the  welfare  and  happiness  of  others.  In  this  way  we 
shall  at  the  same  time  promote  our  own  happiness, 


LETTER    TO  HER   PUPILS.  t6i 

for  happiness  is  not  the  result  of  any  combination  of 
circumstances  which  the  most  brilliant  fancy  can  de- 
pict; it  must  proceed  from  a  persevering  effort  to 
fulfil  our  duties  to  our  Heavenly  Father,  and  to  our 
fellow-creatures. 

"  While,  then,  you  are  improving  the  faculties 
which  have  been  intrusted  to  you,  and  seeking  the 
esteem  and  friendship  of  those  whom  you  think 
worthy  of  your  love,  let  it  be  your  first  aim  to  be- 
come wise  unto  salvation.  As  the  joys  of  Heaven, 
the  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory,  promised 
to  the  faithful  Christian,  infinitely  overbalance  the 
delusive  and  fleeting  pleasures  of  the  world,  in  the 
same  proportion  does  our  spiritual  welfare  surpass 
in  importance  our  temporal  well-being.  Let  it,  then, 
be  your  chief  desire  to  obtain  the  approbation  of 
Him  whose  favor  is  life  everlasting.  It  is  not  enough 
to  be  amiable,  generous,  benevolent ;  these  delight- 
ful traits  of  character  may  exist  in  a  heart  alienated 
from  God,  which  seeks  neither  to  know,  nor  to  do 
His  will.  We  must  be  born  again,  and  this  great 
change  must  be  effected  by  His  Holy  Spirit.  In  all 
our  pursuits  let  us  ask  His  blessing;  in  all  our 
undertakings,  let  us  keep  in  view  the  shortness  and 
uncertainty  of  life,  remembering  that,  although  many 
things  are  desirable,  one  thing  is  needful, — the  sal- 
vation of  our  never-dying  souls.  We  are  not  our 
own;  as  created  beings,  we  are  not  our  own,  nor  at 
liberty  to  follow  the  impulses  of  our  unregenerate 
hearts  ;  in  a  sense  far  more  important  we  are  not  our 
own  ;  we  are  bought  with  a  price,  the  precious  blood 

14* 


!62     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

of  the  Lamb  of  God.  Could  any  more  powerful 
inducement  to  seek  Him  early  be  presented?  May 
we  be  united  by  the  ties  of  love  not  only  while  we 
are  pilgrims  on  this  earth,  but  may  we  be  inhabitants 
of  the  same  celestial  city,  and  forever  sing  the  praises 
of  Him  who  loved  us  before  we  loved  Him  !  May 
not  one  of  you  be  wanting  at  His  right  hand  !  May 
His  grace,  love,  and  mercy  be  with  you  now  and 
forever ! 

"  Your  loving  and  faithful  friend, 

"  M.  A.  LONGSTRETH." 

When  it  became  known  that  Miss  Mary  Anna  had 
decided  to  give  up  her  school,  a  plan  was  suggested 
which  was  warmly  seconded  and  promptly  carried 
out.  A  circular-letter  was  sent  to  all  who  had  ever 
been  pupils  (as  far  as  their  addresses  could  be 
learned)  inviting  them  to  unite  in  raising  a  fund  as 
a  memorial  of  her  fifty  years'  devotion  to  the  work 
of  education.  Miss  Susan  had  directly  shared  the 
labor  for  twenty-five  years,  had  aided  it  for  a  much 
longer  time,  and  was  intimately  connected  with  it  in 
the  minds  of  all  the  older  pupils.  The  memorial, 
therefore,  included  both  sisters.  Those  who  origi- 
nated the  plan  realized  the  delicacy  of  offering  a 
tribute  of  so  material  a  kind,  where  energy  and 
perseverance  had  already  provided  all  that  was  neces- 
sary, and  in  giving  a  name  to  the  memorial  endeav- 
ored to  bring  out  the  idea  that  it  was  to  commem- 


MEMORIAL   FUND. 

orate  at  once  the  scene  and  the  character  of  the 
sisters'  work.  They  accordingly  called  it  "  The 
M.  A.  and  S.  Longstreth  Fund  for  the  Education  of 
Women  in  Philadelphia."  A  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  receive  contributions,  large  or  small ;  the 
individual  amounts  were  never  made  known.  The 
sum  ultimately  reached  was  two  thousand  dollars, 
and  small  as  it  seemed  to  those  who  had  collected 
it,  its  acceptance  was  so  graceful  and  appreciative 
that  all  who  had  taken  part  in  it  were  gratified. 

The  closing  day  of  school,  June  2Oth,  1877,  not- 
withstanding its  tearful  partings,  was,  as  some  one 
said,  a  kind  of  "  Golden  Wedding"  day.  Letters, 
notes,  and  messages,  some  of  sympathy,  some  of 
congratulation,  all  of  affection,  came  pouring  in. 
Even  the  most  reserved  now  found  expression  for 
their  grateful  memories ;  and  in  those  from  all  the 
earlier  scholars  both  sisters  had  a  part.  The  chorus 
of  blended  voices  touched  them  deeply,  and  the  fund 
remained,  a  substantial  memorial  of  a  recognition 
they  could  not  doubt. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

FAMILY    LIFE. 

WE  have  now  seen  something  of  Mary  Anna 
Longstreth  as  the  eager  learner,  the  earnest,  consci- 
entious teacher.  We  have  seen  her  after  the  relaxa- 
tion of  foreign  travel  again  taking  up  her  chosen 
work,  ever  pressing  forward  to  the  highest  mark, 
"  without  haste,  without  rest."  But  there  is  another 
side  scarcely  yet  touched  upon,  no  less  characteristic, 
and  to  those  who  knew  her  best,  the  most  endearing. 

The  absorbing  occupation,  the  proceeds  of  which 
contributed  so  largely  to  the  needs  of  the  family,  natu- 
rally set  her  aside  from  any  active  domestic  duty,  but 
in  filial  love  and  attention,  and  all  the  simple  kindly 
offices  of  daily  life  between  brothers  and  sisters,  she 
never  failed.  A  little  New  Year's  greeting  to  her 
mother  has  been  carefully  preserved  for  fifty  years : 

"  On  this  happy  morning  to  whom  can  I  with  so 
much  pleasure  offer  my  best  and  warmest  wishes  for 
many  '  happy  New  Years'  as  to  my  beloved  mother, 
who  for  more  than  twenty  years  has  cherished  me 
with  the  fondest  affection,  tenderly  watched  over  my 
164 


HOME  LETTERS. 


I65 


infancy  and  childhood,  and  now  ministers  to  my 
comfort  with  that  faithful  constancy  and  love  which 
a  mother  only  can  bestow?  Thus  may  she  in  turn 
be  guarded,  cherished,  and  cared  for  by  the  kind 
Shepherd  of  Israel,  who  neither  slumbers  nor  sleeps. 
May  He  pour  balm  into  her  wounds,  and  wipe  away 
all  her  tears !  May  He  give  her  joy  for  mourning, 
and  the  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness, 
making  her  last  days  her  happiest ! 

"  MARY  ANNA. 

"  1st  mo.  1st,  1835." 

Miss  Mary  Anna's  letters,  even  her  simplest  notes, 
were  carefully  written.  Their  style  was  in  keeping 
with  her  beautiful  regular  penmanship.  But  the  spon- 
taneity of  a  little  outburst  of  affection  in  the  follow- 
ing pencilled  fragment  to  Miss  Susan  will  be  to  most 
readers  its  greatest  charm.  Miss  Mary  Anna  had 
gone  to  New  York  to  take  the  steamer  for  Europe 
in  1866,  and  an  hour  before  sailing  sends  her  last  mes- 
sages. One  enjoys  even  the  absence  of  punctuation  : 

"  I  did  not  tell  thee  my  darling  sister  how  greatly 
I  felt  indebted  to  thee  for  thy  kindness  in  getting  me 
ready — packing  me  up  &c — because  I  wished  to 
avoid  calling  up  too  much  feeling — and  was  fearful  of 
breaking  down  myself — But  I  do  return  thee  a  thou- 
sand and  a  thousand  thanks  for  thy  multiplied  kind- 
nesses, and  all  thy  patience  with  me.  May  the  Lord 
bless  and  keep  thee  every  hour,  renew  thy  health  and 
strength,  and  enable  thee  to  bear  thy  burdens." 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


"  It  must  not  be  supposed,"  says  Miss  Susan, 
"  that  because  so  much  of  her  time  was  given  to  her 
beloved  scholars  —  every  one  of  whom  was  made  a 
separate  study  —  she  was  any  the  less  interested  in 
the  families  of  her  brother  and  sister,  whose  settle- 
ment in  life  removed  them  from  the  parental  roof. 
Her  heart  expanded,  and  her  happiness  was  greatly  in- 
creased by  witnessing  their  happiness.  Her  brother 
William,  who  was  ten  years  younger  than  herself, 
had  always  been  her  especial  favorite.  She  found 
time  to  write  to  him  every  week  when  he  was  at 
Haverford,  and  took  the  warmest  interest  in  his  settle- 
ment on  a  farm,  which  she  delighted  to  stock  with  fine 
fruit  and  to  adorn  with  shrubbery.  After  his  busi- 
ness called  him  to  the  city,  she  took  equal  pleasure  in 
his  living  at  dear  old  Greenway,  and  building  a  new 
house  on  its  grounds.  His  wife  was  as  dear  to  her  as 
either  of  her  own  sisters,  and  his  children  always  found 
a  real  home  in  Filbert  Street.  She  depended  upon 
him,  and  his  death  in  1881  was  a  great  blow  to  her. 
She  never  recovered  from  the  disappointment  of  losing 
him  and  his  son  Thomas,  who  died  in  early  manhood." 

From  the  birth  of  her  eldest  nephew  —  a  joyful 
event  in  the  life  of  every  child-loving  aunt  —  to  that 
of  the  youngest  great-niece,  her  affections  were 
always  widening  with  the  widening  circle;  and  this 
loving  interest  was  by  no  means  a  mere  sentiment, 
nor  was  it  ever  at  a  loss  for  means  of  expression.  In 
the  early  days,  when  little  Theodore  was  the  one  in- 


NEPHEWS  AND  NIECES.  ifiy 

fant  pet  of  the  family,  his  aunt's  chief  amusement  was 
to  pay  him  and  his  young  mother  an  afternoon  visit, 
and  in  merry  frolic  with  the  child  to  plan  schemes 
for  his  future  development.  And  the  schemes  were 
put  into  practice  at  the  very  earliest  moment.  The 
little  fellow  was  taught  to  go  alone  the  short  distance 
to  his  aunt's  house  to  receive  a  daily  lesson. 

And  years  afterwards,  when  the  health  of  a  younger 
nephew,  grown  to  manhood,  had  caused  some  anxiety, 
the  same  solicitous  affection  sent  him,  in  hope  of  com- 
plete restoration,  to  the  milder  climates  of  Southern 
Europe  and  the  Nile.  This  was  only  one  of  many 
instances  of  the  same  kind.  Her  purse,  filled  by  her 
own  exertions,  seemed  to  have  the  blessing  of  the 
widow's  cruse;  it  was  never  very  full,  it  was  always 
pouring  out  its  bounty,  and  it  was  never  empty. 

But  of  all  her  gifts  she  was  herself  the  best.  In- 
stead of  growing  graver  and  sadder  as  the  years 
went  by,  her  busy  productive  life  reversed  the  usual 
order,  and  she  seemed  to  grow  more  and  more  light 
of  heart,  as  if  she  lived  in  the  sunshine.  A  great- 
niece  gives  a  pleasant  picture  of  the  young  circle  she 
loved  to  gather  round  her  : 

"  No  maiden  aunt,  with  every  faculty  given  exclu- 
sively to  nephews  and  nieces,  could  have  lavished 
more  love  and  attention  upon  the  children  of  her 


MEMOIR   OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

brother  and  sister  than  did  Aunt  Mary  Anna.  One 
of  her  eldest  nephew's  cherished  treasures  is  a  book 
carefully  written  in  her  own  beautiful  hand, — a  sort 
of  journal  for  the  first  ten  years  of  his  life  and  that 
of  his  brothers  and  sister, — a  record  of  their  moral 
and  mental  progress,  little  pleasures,  gifts,  birthdays, 
etc. ;  a  book  the  keeping  of  which  many  a  mother 
might  have  esteemed  too  great  a  tax,  not  so  the  busy 
teacher  of  a  large  school.  What  trouble  was  too 
great  for  her  untiring  love? 

"  Some  Sunday  evenings  are  especially  bright  in 
our  recollections, — those  when  Aunt  Mary  Anna  took 
tea  with  us.  We  would  crowd  around  her  and  sit 
on  her  lap,  listening  to  the  adventures  of '  Charlotte,' 
'The  Little  Princess,'  or,  best  of  all,  'When  she  and 
Aunt  Susan  were  little  girls.'  In  great  request  was 
the  seat  next  her  at  tea-time,  or  afterwards,  when 
hymns  and  texts  were  repeated. 

"  As  if  her  teaching  was  to  cease  but  with  her  life, 
her  last  year  was  a  lesson  to  us  of  beautiful  patience 
and  submission  to  the  Divine  will.  How  hard  she 
found  it — threatened  with  blindness — to  lie  still  and 
rest  from  her  life-long  activity  none  but  herself  ever 
knew.  And  when  we  were  gathered  together  in  that 
darkened  room  last  summer,  our  sorrow  for  the  dear 
life  gone  from  our  midst  though  deep,  was  mingled 
with  thankfulness  that  her  eyes  had  been  opened  to 
the  light  of  Heaven  before  they  were  entirely  dark- 
ened to  the  light  of  earth.  , 

"  ELISABETH  MORRIS." 


CHAPTER    X. 

PHILANTHROPIC    INTERESTS — SOCIAL    LIFE. 

MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH'S  charity,  in  every  sense, 
began  at  home.  None  knew  so  well  as  her  own 
household  how  truly  unselfish  thought  for  others 
was  the  main-spring  of  her  life.  But  her  sympathies 
went  far  beyond  the  limits  of  this  inner  circle.  Out- 
side of  her  school — to  which  she  conscientiously 
gave  her  freshest  energies — she  still  had  time  and 
thought  to  spare  for  many  charitable  enterprises,  any 
one  of  which  would  have  seemed  to  most  women 
quite  enough  to  occupy  them.  Her  school  employ- 
ments extended  far  beyond  school  hours ;  her  even- 
ings were  habitually  spent  in  examining  copy-books, 
arranging  class-lists,  or  preparing  special  exercises 
for  her  scholars;*  yet  a  stranger  meeting  her  in  the 
afternoon  at  a  hospital  or  charity  committee,  might 
have  supposed  that  particular  object  her  chief  inter- 


*  The  "  Young  Student's  Companion,"  still  so  pojmlar  a  text-book 
for  beginners  in  French,  was  originally  prepared  by  her  for  the  use 
of  her  own  classes.  She  also  made  a  large  collection  of  words  apt 
to  be  misspelled  for  study  in  the  school. 

15  169 


I/O 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRRTH. 


est.  "  She  never  allowed  the  weariness  and  drag  of 
a  benevolent  life  to  show,"  says  a  discriminating  ob- 
server who  knew  her  well ;  "  no  doubt  it  was  often 
felt,  but  all  that  came  to  our  eyes  was  the  pleasure 
and  comfort  she  had  in  it,  and  this  alone  was  a  vast 
service  to  the  cause  of  God  and  humanity."  From 
all  in  need  of  aid  or  comfort,  Indians  or  Freedmen,  a 
struggling  missionary's  wife  at  the  antipodes,  or  a 
sick  child  in  the  nearest  alley,  the  cry  "  Come  over 
and  help  us"  found  in  her  a  willing  ear,  a  helping 
hand,  and  an  open  purse,  "  without  regard  to  creed, 
color,  race,  or  nationality."  The  perplexed,  the  baf- 
fled^the  disheartened,  flocked  to  her  as  to  an  oracle ; 
her  word  became  to  many  a  new  starting-point  in 
life.  "  I  look  back  thirty  years,"  says  one,  "  and  re- 
member what  a  gift  her  friendship  has  been  to  me. 
Without  it  how  could  I  have  made  my  way  over  so 
many  rugged  and  difficult  paths  ?  I  came  to  her  a 
stranger  asking  aid  and  counsel ;  she  took  me  in  to 
her  thought  and  heart,  and  continued  to  give  me  her 
aid,  counsel,  and  love  through  all  these  years.  It 
was  a  friendship  without  a  flaw." 

Parents  seeking  teachers  for  their  children,  teach- 
ers seeking  employment  for  themselves,  alike  re- 
sorted to  her,  and  in  some  cases  the  supply  so 
exactly  met  the  demand,  and  the  result  was  so  satis- 
factory to  all  parties  concerned,  the  time  and  thought 


A   BUREAU  OF  INFORMATION. 


171 


necessarily  given  to  the  matter  were  not  considered. 
The  service  was  a  real  happiness  to  both  sisters. 
But  there  were  often  applicants  for  whom  nothing 
could  be  found,  and  Miss  Mary  Anna's  sympathy  in 
these  cases  really  preyed  upon  her  health.  Occa- 
sionally, too,  a  candidate  was  contumacious,  one 
young  woman  positively  insisting  that  she  should  be 
provided  with  music  scholars.  She  was  "quite  sure 
Miss  Longstreth  could  do  it  if  she  would  only  make 
the  effort !"  The  house  was  in  danger  of  becoming 
a  mere  bureau  of  information,  and  the  task,  so  pleas- 
ant in  the  beginning,  had  to  be  given  up. 

Her  attachment  to  her  own  Society  of  Friends  was 
unswerving,  yet  with  a  catholicity  of  faith  rarely 
found  in  any  communion,  she  bade  God-speed  to  all 
true  seekers,  even  though  the  pathway  chosen  were 
far  different  from  her  own.  The  self-devotion  of  Dr. 
Price,  her  early  Latin  teacher,  first  kindled  her  in- 
terest in  missions.*  Far  from  being  a  mere  religious 
duty,  it  became  almost  a  passion  of  her  life,  and  had 
not  another  path  been  clearly  marked  out  for  her, 
she  would  gladly  have  gone  to  Burmah  to  impart  to 
others  what  was  so  truly  to  herself  a  message  of  great 
joy.  The  visits  of  Dr.  Judson  and  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Wade  to  this  country  were  an  especial  enjoyment  to 

*  See  page  14. 


172 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA   LONGSTRETH. 


her.  Through  these  friends  she  was  introduced  to 
Miss  Cynthia  Sheldon,  and  her  niece  Miss  Anable, 
with  whom  a  warm  intimacy  continued  throughout 
her  life.  She  delighted  to  aid  in  filling  boxes  with 
useful  articles  to  be  sent  out  to  Mrs.  Wade.  All  the 
fine  cutlery,  scissors,  penknives,  needles,  etc.,  were 
carefully  dried  on  a  stove,  and  packed  in  glass  jars, 
to  secure  them  from  the  dampness  of  a  long  voyage. 
Many  little  articles  of  dress,  not  to  be  had  in  India, 
were  also  added.  One  may  fancy  the  pleasure  with 
which  these  boxes  were  opened. 

Mrs.  Wade  thus  writes  from  Tavoy,  December  24th, 
1864: 

"  O  how  like  cool  and  refreshing  streams  in  the 
parched  deserts  of  this  hot  and  weary  land  have  been 
your  precious  letters,  presents,  and  offerings  in  money 
for  our  personal  comfort,  schools,  etc. !  In  all  these 
long,  eventful  years  since  May,  1834,  when  I  was 
first  introduced  to  thee,  my  loved  friend,  and  spent 
that  first  delightful,  ever  to  be  remembered  evening 
in  your  family  circle,  how  many,  many  streams  of 
comfort  and  strength  have  flowed  to  me  from  that 
unlooked-for  fountain  of  love  and  benevolence  !" 

She  began  early  in  life  to  take  an  especial  interest 
in  the  blind,  writing  a  hymn  for  their  use.  For  a 
time  she  visited  the  prisoners  at  the  Penitentiary,  but 
afterwards  found  her  spare  hours  too  limited  to  keep 


SOCIAL    VISITS. 


1/3 


up  the  habit.  She  was  one  of  the  corporators  of  the 
Medical  College  for  Women,  and  from  1878  until 
near  the  time  of  her  death  continued  a  manager  of 
the  Woman's  Hospital. 

But  the  most  absorbing  interest  of  all  her  later 
years,  the  one  in  which  she  took  the  most  delight, 
and  upon  which  she  lavished  every  resource  at  her 
command,  was  the  school  at  Hampton.  Of  this  a 
full  account  will  presently  be  given  by  one  of  its 
efficient  corps  of  workers. 

"  Some  people  always  sigh  in  praising  God,"  says 
Aurora  Leigh.  Mary  Anna  Longstreth  certainly 
was  not  one  of  them.  Her  bright  hopefulness  of 
spirit,  her  buoyancy  of  manner,  was  the  strongest 
testimony  to  the  faith  she  lived  by.  Her  presence 
brought  gladness  to  young  and  old.  A  photograph, 
taken  in  her  bonnet  and  veil  just  as  she  looked  on 
entering  the  school  in  the  morning,  was  a  favorite 
picture  with  her  scholars.  So,  too,  she  looked  when 
visiting  the  large  circle  of  her  old  pupils,  most  of 
whom  became  her  warm  and  life-long  friends.  Amid 
her  crowded  and  multifarious  engagements  she  al- 
ways found  time  for  keeping  up  these  pleasant 
social  relations.  And  her  visits  were  never  mere 
perfunctory  calls.  She  shared,  with  a  power  of  sym- 
pathy given  to  few,  the  joys  no  less  than  the  sorrows 

15* 


174 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


of  those  she  loved.  Whether  it  were  a  young  girl's 
engagement,  a  coveted  trip  to  Europe  just  made 
possible,  or  a  new  avenue  opened  for  needed  self- 
support,  the  happiness  of  another  at  once  became 
her  own.  The  profusion  of  her  wedding  invitations 
attracted  the  notice  even  of  the  carriers.  "  Who  is 
this  Miss  Longstreth  everybody  invites?"  one  of 
them  once  inquired.  He  evidently  supposed  her  a 
kind  of  ever-reigning  belle,  whose  perennial  attrac- 
tions "  age  could  not  wither."  And  he  was  not  far 
wrong.  Her  heart  never  grew  old,  and  the  sweet 
face  retained  its  childlike  beauty  even  at  threescore. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

LAST    YEARS. 

THE  account  of  the  closing  scenes  will  best  be 
given  in  the  words  of  the  faithful  sister,  who  was  with 
her  to  the  end  : 

"  When  the  need  for  much  effort  ceased,"  says 
Miss  Susan,  "  my  dear  sister  found  herself  more  worn 
than  she  supposed,  and  she  never  fully  regained  her 
strength.  The  sight  of  both  eyes  was  impaired  by 
cataract,  and  she  finally  lost  the  power  of  writing, 
but  she  was  enabled  to  meet  this  gradual  diminution 
of  vigor  with  much  calmness  and  patience.  She  was 
always  able  to  dictate  letters  to  her  friends,  and  to 
send  packages  and  papers  to  Hampton  graduates. 
In  1883  she  went  to  Lake  Mohonk,  expecting  to  en- 
joy the  fine  air  and  the  society  of  many  dear  friends 
at  that  delightful  home-like  retreat,  but  was  disap- 
pointed by  an  increase  of  indisposition,  which  con- 
fined her  to  her  room  during  her  whole  stay  there. 

"She  had  never  recovered  her  strength  since  the 
loss  of  our  beloved  brother  William  and  his  gifted 
son  Thomas,  on  whom  she  had  expected  always  to 
lean  for  support.  But  the  pins  of  the  earthly  taber- 

175 


MEMOIR   OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


nacle  were  so  gently  loosened,  one  by  one,  that  we 
found  it  difficult  to  understand  fully  her  increasing 
feebleness. 

"  In  1884  our  kind  friend,  Julianna  R.  Wood,  with 
whom  my  sister  and  myself  had  been  intimate  from 
girlhood,  offered  us  the  use  of  her  cottage  at  Cape 
May.  It  was  a  providential  arrangement,  and  only 
He  who  knows  the  end  from  the  beginning  could 
have  so  planned  every  minute  detail  for  her  comfort 
and  convenience,  even  directing  the  steps  of  our 
sister  E.  Morris  and  her  family  to  the  same  place,  so 
that  they  saw  each  other  daily.  Truly  He  made  all 
her  bed  in  her  sickness.  For  six  weeks  we  occupied 
'  Sea  Brink  Cottage,'  where  we  had  the  finest  air 
from  the  beach,  and  perfect  quiet.  My  sister's  mind 
was  bright  and  clear.  She  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
conversing  with  me  about  the  possibility  of  her  sud- 
den removal,  saying,  '  If  I  should  be  taken  away  un- 
expectedly, I  should  like  such  and  such  a  thing  at- 
tended to  ;'  and  memoranda  were  made  of  her  wishes, 
though  without  any  agitation  of  manner,  from  the 
feeling  of  entire  uncertainty  when  such  memoranda 
would  be  needed." 

But  by  the  first  of  August  there  were  indications 
that  the  end  might  be  near ;  and  by  the  advice  of 
her  physician  the  patient  was  taken  back  to  her  own 
home.  • 

"  The  journey,"  continues  Miss  Susan,  "  was  ac- 
complished 8mo.  8th  without  difficulty  or  fatigue, 


LAST  HOURS. 


177 


our  attentive  nephews  doing  everything  in  their 
power  to  make  it  easy  to  her.  After  our  return  she 
was  still  able  to  pass  the  greater  part  of  the  day 
in  our  dining-room,  the  weather  being  remarkably 
cool  and  pleasant. 

"  On  the  I4th  she  seemed  as  well  as  usual,  but  at 
6  P.M.  a  slight  feeling  of  nausea  excited  a  little  uneasi- 
ness, and  I  at  once  felt  alarmed  about  her.  It  was  a 
new  symptom,  and  although  she  assured  me  it  was 
of  no  consequence,  and  soon  told  me  she  felt  very 
much  better,  I  immediately  sent  for  a  physician.  Be- 
fore the  doctor  could  reach  her  bedside  all  conscious- 
ness was  over,  though  it  was  not  till  near  4  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  the  I5th  that  the  breathing  ceased. 
Most  of  the  intervening  hours  were  passed  in  gentle 
slumber. 

"  I  was  strengthened  to  sit  by  her  and  to  promote 
her  comfort,  feeling  the  undoubted  presence  of  our 
Saviour,  who  fulfilled  His  gracious  promise,  '  If  I  go 
and  prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again  and 
receive  you  unto  myself;'  and  as  He,  the  omniscient 
and  almighty  One,  was  tenderly  and  lovingly  leading 
her  every  step  of  the  way,  saying  to  me,  '  Fear  not, 
for  I  am  with  thee/  I  knew  that  He  had  taken  her 
from  my  hands  into  His  own. 

"  Many  of  our  friends  were  away  from  home,  but 
more  than  two  hundred  gathered  at  the  funeral 
to  have  one  more  view  of  the  lovely  countenance. 
Thanksgiving  was  offered  by  several  Friends  to 
Him  whose  grace  had  been  abundantly  bestowed 


178 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA   LONGSTRET1I. 


upon  her,  that  the  sting  of  death  had  been  taken 
away,  and  the  victory  given  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

"  The   remains   were   laid    beside    those   of    our 
beloved  mother,  at  South  Laurel  Hill." 


HAMPTON 


HE  A  M  PTON. 


WHAT  our  dear  Miss  Longstreth  is,  in  the  grateful 
remembrance  of  Hampton,  cannot  be  told.  Descrip- 
tion and  praise  fall  as  far  short  of  the  memory  they 
would  celebrate,  and  the  love  they  would  offer,  as  do 
the  fading  wreaths  laid  upon  a  grave.  What  words 
can  express  the  fragrance  of  a  flower,  the  melody  of 
music,  the  face  of  a  friend  ? 

Yet,  as  a  single  glance  may  recall  all  the  sweet- 
ness and  tender  grace  to  those  who  knew  them, — 
like  the  sight  of  the  garments  that  Dorcas  had  made, 
— so,  to  those  who  find  in  these  pages  indeed  a  me- 
morial, every  gentle  deed  recounted  must  call  up  the 
gentle  friend  who  so  gave  herself  with  her  gifts  that 
her  presence  remains  in  them,  a  constant  blessing. 

Miss  Longstreth's  mission  of  love  to  Hampton  In- 
stitute began  in  1872,  when  this  normal  and  indus- 
trial school  for  freedmen  was  in  the  fourth  year  of  its 
existence.  In  that  year,  the  Freedman's  Aid  So- 
ciety of  Philadelphia,  which  had  accomplished  much 

16  181 


!82     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

good  during  and  since  the  war,  establishing  schools 
and  missions  and  otherwise  aiding  the  contrabands, 
feeling  that  the  further  development  of  the  race  was 
passing  naturally  into  other  hands,  decided  to  dis- 
band. Hearing  of  this  decision,  General  Armstrong, 
principal  of  Hampton  school,  wrote  to  a  friend  among 
the  directors  of  the  Association,  urging  that  there 
was  still  work  to  be  done  for  the  freedmen  that  would 
need  all  the  help  of  all  their  friends.  This  letter, 
shown  by  the  lady  to  whom  it  was  addressed  to  her 
friend,  Miss  Longstreth,  was  Hampton's  first  intro- 
duction to  this  dear  friend.  How  that  introduction 
was  received,  and  how  it  was  renewed,  it  is  pleasant 
to  hear  from  her  own  words : 

"  Being  the  principal  of  a  large  school,  I  thought 
it  right  to  impress  upon  my  pupils  the  duty  of  con- 
sidering the  poor,  relieving  the  distressed,  and  in- 
structing the  ignorant,  and  I  encouraged  them  to  lay 
aside  for  this  purpose  part  of  the  weekly  allowance 
they  received  from  their  parents,  or  a  part  of  what 
they  earned  by  good  conduct  and  diligence  in  study. 
They  brought  to  me  every  Monday  their  contribu- 
tions, varying  from  two  to  ten  cents  for  each  pupil, 
and  these  small  sums,  which  amounted  in  a  year  to 
nearly  two  hundred  dollars,  were  sent  to  the  South 
to  assist  in  paying  the  salary  of  a  teacher  of  the 
freedmen.  When  General  Armstrong  came  to  Phila- 
delphia, in  November  of  1872,  to  plead  for  his  Hamp- 


HAMPTON. 


183 


ton  school,  and  asked  our  citizens  to  assist  in  paying 
for  the  tuition  of  those  whose  parents  were  unable  to 
pay,  I  proposed  to  my  pupils  to  give  part  of  their 
money  to  this  excellent  object.  They  immediately 
acceded,  paid  for  one  scholarship,  and  continued  it 
year  after  year  until  I  closed  my  school  in  1877. 
Jennie  Shelton  was  one  of  the  Hampton  graduates 
who  received  for  three  years  the  benefit  of  their  dona- 
tion, and  fully  did  she  repay  them  by  the  diligent 
use  she  made  of  her  privileges,  as  well  as  by  her 
grateful  appreciation  of  their  kindness.  I  also  had 
the  pleasure  of  taking  a  scholarship,  and  became 
much  interested  in  the  great  work  being  accom- 
plished at  Hampton." 

General  J.  F.  B.  Marshall,  Hampton's  honored 
treasurer  and  friend,  was  told  by  Miss  Longstreth  in 
after  years,  that  the  practical,  manly  and  womanly 
tone  and  simple  Christian  spirit  of  the  "  scholar- 
ship letters,"  received  in  response  to  these  dona- 
tions of  scholarships,  from  students  at  Hampton,  did 
much,  as  it  has  in  many  other  instances,  to  continue 
her  interest  in  the  school  and  confirm  her  impression 
of  the  work  done  by  it. 

To  quote  again  her  own  words : 

"  The  ground  for  Virginia  Hall  was  broken  in  the 
spring  of  1873,  and  the  corner-stone  was  laid  on 
June  1 2th  of  that  year.  The  illness  of  one  of  my  as- 
sistant teachers  prevented  me  from  being  present  on 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


that  interesting  occasion.  As  the  corner-stone  ora- 
tion was  written  and  spoken  by  my  scholarship  pu- 
pil, George  E.  Stephens,  it  would  have  been  a  par- 
ticular gratification  to  me  to  attend  the  anniversary 
exercises,  but  duty  required  me  to  be  in  my  own 
school." 

This  absence  did  not  prevent  a  generous  donation 
to  Virginia  Hall,  sent  down  to  represent  the  giver,  — 
the  first  of  how  many,  many  generous,  thoughtful, 
timely  gifts,  besides  the  constantly  kept  up  scholar- 
ships. 

The  next  year,  Hampton  had  the  pleasure  of  wel- 
coming its  dear  new  friend  for  the  first  time.  Of 
this  first  visit,  she  writes  : 

"  Highly  did  I  enjoy  all  I  saw  and  heard.  The 
progress  of  the  pupils  was  wonderful.  Academic 
Hall  with  its  admirable  appointments,  Virginia  Hall 
still  unfinished,  but  giving  promise  of  great  useful- 
ness and  comfort,  the  farm,  the  natural  beauty  of  the 
place,  with  the  flowing  river  and  broad  meadows,  all 
called  forth  my  warm  admiration.  Enthusiasm  and 
heartfelt  interest  were  manifested  by  both  Northern 
and  Southern  visitors." 

And  this  was  the  impression  she  left: 

"  Your  name  is  a  well-loved  one  here,  dear  Miss 
Longstreth.  I  hope  you  will  come  again  and  con- 


HAMPTON.  jS^ 

tinue   your   acquaintance    with    the   place    and    the 
people." 

For  nine  more  years,  she  was  an  always-expected, 
never-failing  guest  at  every  anniversary ;  coming  when 
possible  some  days  before,  and  making  part  of  her 
visit  at  the  school  itself,  that  she  might  share  its  life 
and  become  personally  acquainted  with  teachers  and 
scholars.  Very  sweet  are  the  memories  that  linger 
of  those  visits, — the  bright,  cordial  interest  to  see 
every  addition  and  improvement  made  since  she  was 
last  here  ;  the  fitting  word  and  loving  smile  for  every 
worker;  the  sympathetic  inquiries  into  the  trials  and 
successes  of  the  year;  the  helpful  suggestions  from 
the  stores  of  her  own  long  experience  as  a  teacher. 
To  every  senior  class,  their  baccalaureate  sermon, 
and  even  their  diplomas,  seemed  scarcely  more  neces- 
sary to  their  graduation  than  Miss  Longstreth's  fare- 
well talk,  when  they  gathered  in  the  quiet  of  twilight 
in  the  chapel,  and,  after  the  hush  of  silent  prayer,  re- 
ceived her  gentle  counsels  to  carry  with  them  to 
their  distant,  lonely  fields  of  labor,  and  were  com- 
mended by  her  to  the  care  of  Him  whose  eyes  are 
over  every  place.  How  many  waste  places  have 
been  made  glad  by  the  influence  of  those  twilight 
talks ! 

So  full  were  those  ten  years — from  anniversary  to 
*>>  i 6* 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

anniversary — of  loving  thoughts  and  deeds  spared  to 
Hampton  out  of  that  ever  busy  life,  that  the  records 
of  them  would  sound  repetitious ;  while  to  those 
whom  they  blessed  with  timely  aid  in  work,  or  per- 
sonal comfort,  they  suggested  the  love  "  new  every 
morning  and  fresh  every  evening." 

"Thanks  for  the  'Bible  Lessons,'  which  I  will 
have  tried  as  you  request;  also  for  '  Historical  Series 
and  Chart.'-" 

"  Those  beautiful  illuminations  you  sent  to  us,  and 
for  the  teachers !  How  have  you  been  able  to  spare 
so  much  time  from  your  constant  cares?  You  must 
have  a  wonderful  art  of  using  every  moment." 

"You  thought  of  everything  practical  and  orna- 
mental in  that  wonderful  Christmas-box  we  haven't 
yet  ceased  to  wonder  at." 

"  The  texts  you  sent  for  the  boys'  rooms  came  in 
excellent  order,  and  are  very  much  to  the  point  in 
every  way." 

"  The  girls  were  never  weary  of  listening  to  the 
very  interesting  and  instructive  book  you  sent  to  be 
read  in  the  sewing-room,  and  would  preserve  the 
strictest  quiet,  speaking  in  whispers  when  it  was  ne- 
cessary to  ask  a  question.  Usually,  the  machines 
prevent  reading,  but  on  Friday,  when  we  have  the 
stockings  to  mend,  we  improve  the  still  hours." 

"Your  second  box  of  apparatus  is  just  opened. 
For  the  first  time  in  our  history  we  have  a  real  phil- 
osophical department.  It  is  very  gratifying.  It  will 


HAMPTON. 


I87 


be  a  nucleus  of  growth.  You  have  planted  the  seed 
of  more  things  than  you  have  given  yourself.  So, 
also,  the  friend  whom  you  interested  in  the  cause,  to 
whom  I  will  write.  Please  tell  her,  her  donation  has 
been  applied  to  great  advantage.  I  am  under  many 
obligations  for  your  kindness  in  supplying  this  need 
of  our  school  so  promptly  and  liberally." 

"  Thanks  for  the  books  and  tracts  which  came  to- 
day. You  are  always  wise  and  thoughtful  in  your 
selections." 

"  General  Marshall  read  your  letter  to  the  girls  the 
same  evening  that  your  beautiful  engraving  arrived: 
'  Elizabeth  Fry  reading  the  Bible  to  the  prisoners  in 
Newgate.'  I  know  you  would  have  felt  repaid  if  you 
could  have  seen  them  while  they  were  listening  to 
your  account  of  E.  Fry,  and  your  loving  words  of 
counsel.  The  picture  is  the  most  elegant  decoration 
of  our  girls'  parlor." 

"  We  do  all  certainly  enjoy  Virginia  Hall,  and  one 
of  the  older  girls  was  saying  yesterday  that  the  old 
girls  could  appreciate  it,  as  the  new  ones  cannot. 
She  said,  '  I  woke  last  night  and  got  to  thinking  how 
nice  my  room  is,  and  how  much  has  been  spent  for 
us,  and  I  know  I  can  never  know  a  great  deal 
(she  is  not  one  of  the  best  scholars),  but  I  thought  I 
could  have  good  principles  though  I  could  never 
have  much  money  or  much  knowledge,  and  I  mean 
to  remember  it  daily  and  try  to  live  right.'  " 

"The  box  of  models  was  opened  to-day, — just  the 
things  to  make  an  impression  on  a  student's  mind. 
I  am  very  grateful  for  tfiem.  You  are  very  generous 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

to  us.     Your  kind  interest  in  us  makes  you,  in  a 
sweet  and  true  sense,  one  of  us." 

"  Whichever  way  we  turn,  my  dear  friend,  your 
gifts  have  been  so  numerous  and  so  useful  that  we 
are  being  constantly  reminded  of  you.  My  lounge, 
in  its  fresh  chintz  cover,  and  my  desk,  with  the  dear 
little  books  (your  gifts),  in  my  own  room,  the  desk 
in  the  teachers'  parlor,  and,  when  I  go  below-stairs 
to  attend  to  domestic  duties,  the  useful  aprons,  and 
when  I  can  give  to  some  needy  girl  some  of  your 
generous  supply  of  canton-flannel  which  you  have 
intrusted  to  me,  each  in  its  turn  brings  you  before 
me,  and  I  feel  that  we  cannot  thank  you  enough. 
But  I  know,  my  dear  friend,  that  you  are  happy  in 
giving,  and  I  trust  it  may  add  to  your  happiness  to 
know  that  we  are  very  happy  in  receiving." 

All  oppressiveness  was  indeed  removed  from  gifts 
that  were  the  joyous  outflow  of  a  heart  that  had  to 

"  Let  its  illumined  being  o'errun."          , 

One  could  but  write  : 

"  Your  cordial  words  show  how  truly  you  rejoice 
with  them  that  do  rejoice,  as  well  as  your  many 
deeds  have  shown  the  hearty  interest  you  feel  in  the 
freedmen  and  every  one  at  Hampton  who  is  trying  to 
aid  them.  I  feel  sure  that  it  is  a  real  happiness  for 
you  to  do  so  much  as  you  are  constantly  doing  for 
teachers,  officers,  and  scholars,  and  you  may  be  sure 


HAMPTON. 


189 


that  the  truly  benevolent  spirit  which  has  prompted 
your  goodness  has  made  it  an  easy  and  pleasant 
thing  to  receive  your  generous  gifts." 

It  is  a  pleasant  thing  to  think  of  our  dear  friend's 
part  in  the  joy  of  her  benevolence  to  Hampton. 

"  You  have  little  idea,"  wrote  its  grateful  treasurer, 
"  how  much  the  school  has  been  and  is  indebted  to 
you  for  your  interest,  shown  in  every  way  and  at  all 
times,  in  the  work  we  are  trying  to  do  and  in  those 
who  are  trying  to  do  it.  What  my  report  may  show 
is  but  a  trifle  compared  to  what  you  really  do  for  us, 
and  I  assure  you  we  all  appreciate  it." 

But  her  answer  to  such  expressions  was  : 

"  The  debt  is  on  my  side.  I  speak  sincerely.  I 
feel  that  I  owe  what  I  can  never  repay  to  the  work- 
ers at  Hampton.  They  are  doing  my  zvork  in  a  way 
that  I  cannot,  and  all  I  can  do  is  to  manifest  my  love 
and  gratitude." 

"Thy  remark  about  a  'return'  for  kindness  coin- 
cides exactly  with  my  own  view  of  the  subject,  and 
has  always  been  a  favorite  one  with  me.  '  The  ball 
must  be  kept  rolling'  [to  others],  but  I  get  my  '  re- 
turn' before  it  sets  off, — a  whole  heap  of  pleasure." 

"  It  is  very  gratifying  to  me  to  find  that  my  little 
mementos  have  given  so  much  pleasure  to  my  dear 
friends  at  Hampton.  I  am  sure  it  has  given  me  still 
more  to  think  of  them  in  this  way.  My  heart  grows 


1 90 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


larger  as  time  flows  on    and  I  become  better  ac- 
quainted with  you  and  your  work." 

"  It  was  a  real  help  to  me  to  be  with  my  dearly 
loved  and  loving  friends  at  Hampton  and  enjoy  their 
work.  I  have  come  home  cheered  and  refreshed, 
admiring  more  than  ever  the  great  work  that  is  being 
accomplished  there,  and  thanking  God.  When  I  am 
writing  to  my  Hampton  friends,  I  feel  as  if  I  were 
sitting  by  them  and  chatting.  Oh  that  I  could  be 
more  often  with  you  in  person !  I  am  daily  with  you 
in  spirit." 

And  these  sweet,  daily  thoughts  seemed  continually 
accumulating  and  crystallizing  into  loving  deeds,  ap- 
pearing at  Hampton  in  the  shape  of  a  big  box  filled 
with  pretty  and  useful  articles  of  house-furnishing  or 
adorning,  or  special  comfort  of  students  or  teachers. 
Not  only  at  Christmas,  when  every  new  teacher  was 
added  in,  receiving  with  surprise  a  pretty  picture  to 
brighten  her  walls  from  this  stranger  friend,  but  at 
intervals  between,  especially  at  the  beginning  of  a 
term, — "  Is  this  Christmas  ?"  some  uninitiated  one 
would  ask,  as  every  plate  round  the  supper-table 
would  appear  laden  with  a  mysterious  package  in 
snowiest  of  wrappings  tied  with  exquisite  neatness, 
and  inscribed,  in  the  delicate  hand  that  many  had 
already  learned  to  know,  with  the  owner's  name  and 
the  "  love  of  M.  A.  L. ;"  hiding  within  the  useful  little 
implements  of  a  teacher's  work ;  while  every  chair 


HAMPTON.  igi 

bore  its  burden  of  Sunday-school  papers  for  distribu- 
tion in  the  Bible-classes.  No  need  was  too  small  or 
common  to  escape  the  thought  of  that  motherly 
heart. 

"  The  pencils,  paper-folders,  etc.,  were  pleasant  and 
grateful  surprises  on  the  teachers'  tea-tables  last 
evening.  The  little  temperance  tracts  and  songs  will 
be  very  acceptable  to  some  of  our  graduates,  who 
try  in  their  teaching  to  support  the  temperance  cause 
also." 

"  We  all  had  a  treat  at  supper  last  night.  The 
peaches  were  pronounced  delicious  by  every  one  of 
the  household.  Miss  Susan  possesses  an  enviable 
secret.  It  is  so  pleasant  to  think  that  she  made  them, 
though  it  seemed  too  much  work." 

"  In  your  thoughtful  and  unnumbered  deeds  of 
love  to  us  of  Hampton  you  remind  me  of  her  of 
whom  some  one  has  said  : 

'  She  doeth  little  kindnesses 
Which  most  leave  undone  or  despise, 
For  naught  that  sets  one  heart  at  ease, 
Or  giveth  happiness  and  peace, 
Is  Iow-esteem6d  in  her  eyes.' 

"  Not  that  your  kindness  to  us  is  small,  but  how, 
with  your  many  large  acts  of  bounty,  you  yet  find 
time  to  consult  our  happiness  as  you  do  in  so  many, 
many  ways,  is  to  me  a  marvel.  As  each  one  comes 
I  say,  Does  Miss  Longstreth  think  of  any  one  but 


192 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


us  ?  If  she  does,  and  in  the  same  ratio  as  she  does 
of  us,  how  full  to  overflowing  must  her  life  be  of 
thoughts  of  others.  I  wish  I  might  be  a  humble 
imitator." 

That  Miss  Longstreth  did  think  and  work  for 
many  interests  this  volume  amply  shows,  and  no  one 
knew  her  long  without  discovering. 

"  I  have  received  eighty  letters  this  month !"  she 
writes, — "  all  welcome  and  interesting.  I  have  been 
exceedingly  busy  for  the  past  fortnight,  writing  let- 
ters and  sending  packages  of  books  and  papers  to 
colored  schools.  My  hand  is  quite  lame  and  my 
head  tired,  I  shall  not  therefore  attempt  to  prepare 
a  letter  for  the  March  number  of  the  Southern  Work- 
man, but  send  instead  a  letter  from  Walter  I.  Lewis, 
the  earnest  principal  of  the  Spartanburg  (colored) 
High  School.  General  Armstrong  likes  sometimes 
to  have  in  the  Workman  letters  from  teachers  who 
are  not  Hampton  graduates." 

It  was  from  the  midst  of  labors  of  love  like  these 
and  many  others  that  her  thoughts  were  sent  in  such 
practical  form  to  Hampton. 

"  It  takes  about  three  days,"  she  writes  in  later 
days  of  growing  weakness,  "  to  get  a  box  ready  for 
Hampton.  Of  course  I  mean  only  as  much  of  the 
time  as  my  eyes  allow  me  to  work ;  and  as  soon  as 


HAMPTON. 


193 


the  box  is   off,  I  begin  to  do  up  my  packages  of 
papers  for  my  twenty  colored  correspondents." 

Who  that  ever  saw  will  ever  forget  those  spacious 
parlors  in  Filbert  Street,  filled  like  a  bazar,  to  the 
dismay  of  all  Friendly  ideals  of  sobriety  and  order  ? 
Chairs,  tables,  and  floor  piled  with  stacks  of  clothing, 
large  and  small :  coats  and  jackets,  calico  dresses, 
checked  aprons,  gay  bandanas,  hats  and  hoods,  quilts 
and  blankets;  beads,  dolls,  Noah's  arks,  toys  of  every 
description,  patch-work  squares;  boxes  of  thimbles, 
boxes  of  tools,  boxes  of  crackers,  books,  and  what- 
ever else  busy  brains  with  benevolent  hearts  could 
think  up  and  industrious  hands  collect  to  despatch; 
the  one  parlor-full  to  Indian  mission  schools,  from 
Miss  Susan,  the  othar  parlor-full  to  schools  of  colored 
graduates  and  missionaries,  from  Miss  Mary  Anna, 
so  sympathetic  were  these  sisters  in  their  kindred 
works  of  love. 

The  Hampton  graduate  teachers  and  their  little 
schools  had  frequent  share  in  this  kindly  providence. 
Many  of  them  have  also  been  counted  among  her 
"twenty  colored  correspondents,"  and  received  the 
richer  gifts  of  her  letters  of  encouragement  and 
counsel. 

Some  of  their  replies  she  sent  from  time  to  time 
for  the  graduates'  letter-page  in  the  school's  organ, 

17 


I94 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


the  Southern  Workman,  where  these  "  simple  annals 
of  the  poor"  have  long  had  a  mission  of  good  in  ac- 
quainting Northern  readers  with  the  work  going  on 
in  the  log  cabin  school-houses  of  the  South. 

"  Towe's  letter  that  you  sent  is  excellent.  Such 
men  as  he  pay  for  all  this  work.  I  have  sent  his 
letter  to  Mr.  Fessenden  to  show  to ." 

"  In  a  letter  which  Towe  wrote  me,  he  said,  after 
thanking  me  for  some  papers,  etc., '  I  am  too  poor  to 
pay  you,  but  I  have  a  rich  Father.'  He  was  rich  in 
faith.  I  send  with  this  a  letter  from  W.,  which 
shows  so  much  earnestness  in  his  work  and  deter- 
mination to  be  useful  in  every  way  in  his  power,  that 
it  gave  me  a  high  opinion  of  him.  I  have  replied 
to  it." 

"  I  sent  W.'s  letter  to  a  lady  who  gave  his  schol- 
arship. It  will  please  her." 

Besides  these  graduates'  letters,  the  Southern 
Workman  received  many  proofs  of  her  kindly,  pains- 
taking interest,  in  parcels  of  clippings,  made  with 
careful  selection,  at  the  expense,  it  would  seem,  of 
much  time  and  thought,  from  various  papers,  such 
as  she  thought  would  be  of  use  or  interest  to  its 
readers.  They  were  solid  and  light,  grave,  and  even 
gay,  for  she  had  a  keen  enjoyment  of  humor,  and 
faith  in  the  cultivation  of  all  sides  of  this  "  human 
soul  by  which  we  live." 


HAMPTON.  I0, 5 

"  Meeting  the  glad  with  joyful  smiles, 
Wiping  the  weeping  eyes.  .  .  . 
With  a  heart  at  leisure  from  itself 
To  soothe  and  sympathize." 


Her  heart  took  leisure  in  the  midst  of  the  cares 
attending  the  opening  of  her  own  school,  to  write  to 
the  principal  of  Hampton : 

"September  nth,  1876. 

"  MY  DEAR  FRIEND,  S.  C.  ARMSTRONG  : 

"  May  I  send  thee  a  few  lines  of  sympathy  ?  .  .  . 
Although  I  have  taught  school  so  many  years,  the 
re-opening  always  feels  more  or  less  formidable.  To 
set  the  machinery  again  in  motion,  to  examine  the 
new  pupils,  and  arrange  fresh  classes,  and  unite  all 
in  a  harmonious  whole,  is  not  an  easy  task;  yet  help 
has  always  been  furnished,  and  after  the  new  arrange- 
ments are  made  the  work  is  delightful,  the  conscious- 
ness of  being  in  the  line  of  one's  duty  brings  with  it 
a  sweet  reward.  There  are,  of  course,  difficulties, 
obstacles,  and  disappointments,  but  when  we  are  fol- 
lowing our  Master's  call  we  are  sure  of  His  aid. 
Peter  walked  on  the  sea  of  Galilee  at  his  Lord's  com- 
mand ;  but  when  he  looked  at  the  stormy  waves  and 
listened  to  the  fierce  wind,  he  began  to  sink.  Had 
he  kept  his  eyes  fixed  upon  his  Lord,  he  would 
doubtless  have  walked  safely  forward  upon  that 
treacherous  element, — not  in  his  own  strength,  but 
upheld  by  Divine  power.  While  I  have  the  ability — 
and  it  is  the  day  with  me — I  desire  to  work.  I  know 
not  how  soon  the  night  may  come.  At  the  same 


196 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


time  I  do  not  intend  to  shorten  the  day  by  overtax- 
ing my  strength  contrary  to  the  laws  of  Him  who 
made  the  body  as  well  as  the  soul. 

"The  re-opening  of  school  seems  to  me  more 
truly  the  beginning  of  a  new  year  than  the  season 
which  is  usually  so  regarded, — a  time  for  renewed 
dedication  of  heart  and  consecration  to  my  mission. 
Is  it  not  a  privilege  to  work  (even  in  feebleness  and 
with  many  imperfections)  in  our  Redeemer's  cause, 
to  promote  His  reign  and  spread  the  glad  tidings  of 
His  salvation?  St.  Paul's  words,  'Whose  I  am  and 
whom  I  serve,'  seem  to  me  sublime.  I  love  to  speak 
of  them  to  my  pupils,  and  contrast  this  glorious  ser- 
vice with  that  which  is  paid  to  an  earthly  monarch, 
hoping  to  induce  my  young  friends  to  enter  it.  How 
eagerly  do  the  attendants  upon  royalty  seek  the  honor 
which  comes  from  such  service,  and  to  which  few 
comparatively  can  attain,  while  the  service  of  the 
King  of  kings  is  free  to  all,  and  infinitely  more 
noble!" 

A  few  days  later  she  writes : 

"  I  thought  much  about  the  school  yesterday,  the 
first  Sabbath  after  the  opening,  though  I  presume 
not  nearly  all  the  pupils  have  presented  themselves. 
I  hope  Mr.  Tolman  was  able  to  be  at  his  post,  and 
above  all,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  was  present  to  solem- 
nize the  exercises. 

"  I  have  written  a  letter  to  the  Hampton  gradu- 
ates, for  insertion  in  the  Workman,  if  approved  by 
thee." 


HAMPTON. 


I97 


This  letter  to  Hampton  graduates  was  the  first  of 
sixteen  which,  in  the  midst  of  other  cares  and  inter- 
ests, she  found  time  to  write,  and  the  Workman 
gladly  welcomed  to  its  columns,  during  the  next  six 
years,  the  graduate  teachers  looking  eagerly  for  the 
signature  that  marked  the  kindly  counsels  of  their 
friend.  One  paragraph  may  show  their  spirit : 

"  There  are  three  requisites  for  a  teacher's  success 
in  the  highest  sense, — love  to  Christ  in  his  heart, 
love  for  children,  with  an  earnest  desire  for  their 
eternal  welfare,  and  a  love  of  teaching." 

How  thoroughly  she  filled  these  "  requisites"  her- 
self all  who  were  acquainted  with  her  knew.  She 
may  have  said  to  many  what  she  said  to  one  Hamp- 
ton teacher  :  "  I  have  often  thought  that  if  I  should 
be  allowed  by  the  dear  Lord  to  choose  my  occupa- 
tion in  heaven,  I  should  choose  to  teach."  And 
there  are  many  who  would  echo  that  Hampton 
teacher's  answer:  "Then  I  hope  I  may  be  in  your 
class  there."  Who  can  doubt  that  in  some  sweet 
high  way  it  is 

"  Her  mission  still  to  rear,  to  teach" 

"  In  those  great  offices  that  suit 
The  growing  energies  of  Heaven"  ? 

Her  letters  to  the  graduates  were  appreciated  by 
17* 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

them.  She  writes :  "  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of 
learning  from  the  letters  of  several  graduates,  that 
they  have  been  encouraged  by  my  letters  in  the 
Workman,  and  that  encourages  me  to  continue  to 
write." 

The  sparkling  and  mirthful  side  of  her  nature 
comes  out  in  this  pretty  description  : 

"  Commencement  Day,  the  merriest  day  of  all  the 
year  at  Hampton,  fell  this  year  [1877]  on  the  24th 
of  May.  The  weather  was  charming,  cool  and 
bracing.  Steamboats,  sail-boats,  carriages,  and  mule- 
teams  brought  crowds  of  visitors,  white  and  black  : 
officers  of  the  army  and  navy,  judges  and  members 
of  the  press,  friends  of  the  school  from  the  North, 
and  relatives  of  the  students  from  the  neighborhood 
and  farther  south.  Richmond,  New  York,  and  Ports- 
mouth were  well  represented.  To  crown  the  occa- 
sion, Mrs.  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  our  President's  wife, 
beautiful,  dignified,  courteous,  and  good,  came  with  a 
party  from  the  White  House.  .  .  . 

"  Early  in  the  forenoon,  General  Armstrong  intro- 
duced me  to  Mrs.  Hayes,  and  asked  me  to  conduct 
her  to  the  new  cottages  and  objects  of  interest,  after 
she  had  heard  some  of  the  recitations  and  looked  at 
the  fine  specimens  of  farm  products  in  Academic 
Hall.  Mrs.  Hayes  kindly  offered  me  her  arm,  and 
as  we  walked  from  one  interesting  point  to  another, 
she  was  astonished  at  the  progress  that  had  been 
made  in  every  direction,  though,  this  being  her  first 


HAMPTON. 


199 


visit,  she  was  unable  to  fully  appreciate  the  improve- 
ments. On  the  lawn  in  front  of  Academic  Hall  there 
were  temporary  sheds  containing  fine  specimens  of 
the  farm  stock, — horses,  cattle,  pigs,  and  sheep, — 
some  of  the  best  animals  in  the  county.  We  stopped 
for  some  time  to  look  at  these  ;  and,  as  Mrs.  Hayes 
especially  admired  a  beautiful  Alderney  cow,  I  in- 
quired her  name.  Being  told  that  she  had  no  name, 
I  proposed  to  Mrs.  Hayes  to  give  a  name  to  this  fine 
animal.  Turning  to  me,  she  said,  '  Her  color  is  like 
your  bonnet;  I  will  name 'her  Elizabeth  Fry.'  I 
need  not  assure  you  that  the  cow  has  been  ever  since 
an  object  of  interest  to  visitors." 

Soon  after  that  "  merriest  day,"  after  her  return 
home,  a  letter  came  to  Hampton  whose  purport 
was  : 

"  I  have  fully  decided  to'  give  up;  at  the  close  of 
the  present  school  year,  June  i$th,  the  work  of  my 
life, — at  least  of  fifty  years  of  it.  It  is  a  great  trial  to 
me  to  come  to  this  decision." 

All  hearts  at  Hampton  sympathized  with  the 
writer,  and  in  the  response  which  her  letter  called 
forth  : 

"  We  have  read  your  valedictory  with  interest  and 
sympathy.  We  are  glad  that  you  are  not  to  be  under 
the  heavy,  incessant  cares  that  have  for  fifty  years 


200     MEMOIR   OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

• 

taxed  your  strength.  You  are  like  a  traveller  at  the 
end  of  a  long  journey,  and  you  look  back  over  your 
life  with  a  feeling  that  no  one  can  fully  enter  into. 
I  rejoice  that  God  has  spared  you  so  long.  You 
have  been  in  His  service,  and  His  eye  has  been  on 
you  all  these  years.  How  we  need  Him  every  hour  ! 
How  little  what  is  called  success  amounts  to !  It  is 
not  peace ;  it  is  nothing  to  the  smile  of  a  loving 
Father.  How  surely  we  find  that  all  that  is  satisfy- 
ing is  in  the  relation  of  a  child  to  a  Father  above  !  I 
think  you  have  this  relation,  and  thus  you  have  been 
a  teacher  to  me,  and  will  be  for  years  to  come,  I 
hope. 

"  Your  outward  work  is  changed,  but  you  are 
always  teaching  by  your  sweet,  pure,  unselfish  life. 
You  have  many  pupils  at  Hampton, — many  else- 
where. You  are  even  now  doing  your  best  work. 
You  have  a  larger  school  than  the  one  in  Merrick 
Street,  and  you  will  teach  it  long  after  you  cease  to 
breathe.  How  rich  you  are  in  the  trust,  love,  and 
devotion  of  those  who  know  you  !  You  have  fought 
a  good  fight. 

"  I  feel  somehow  that  you  are  one  of  us.  Now 
that  you  are  free,  may  we  not  have  you  weeks  at  a 
time?  How  much  good  you  can  do  in  talking  to 
the  boys  and  girls  here  who  are  to  go  out  into  the 
world !  It  must  be  hard  to  put  off  the  harness  as 
you  are  doing.  God  grant  you  many  long  years  of 
peace  and  strength  and  happiness — as  you  relinquish 
your  local  field  for  a  larger  field,  as  you  pass  from 
physical  to  spiritual  teaching.  You  are  going  up- 


HAMPTON.  201 

wards,  and  have  only  thrown  off  old  garments  for 
brighter  ones." 

She  writes  bravely  in  reply : 

"  My  work  is  brought  to  a  close,; — at  least  is 
changed  in  its  direction, — but  I  trust  ability  will  be 
granted  to  me  to  be  useful  in  some  way  or  other,  and 
I  assure  thee  that  Hampton  and  its  teachers  and 
graduates  will  not  be  forgotten.  My  recreation  will 
be  found,  as  heretofore,  in  looking  after  and  watching 
over  my  colored  pupils.  Yes,  we  do  need  Him  every 
hour,  and  while  et  teneo  et  teneor  is  our  motto,  and 
we  let  Him  keep  fast  hold  of  our  hand,  we  are  safe. 

" '  He  will  direct  our  feet, 

Strengthen  our  hand, 
Give  us  our  portion  meet, 
Fulfil  His  promise  sweet, 

Help  us  to  stand.'  " 

How  the  promise  "  not  to  forget  Hampton"  was 
kept,  the  years  have  well  shown.  It  was  put  into 
immediate  execution.  The  day  after  the  close  of  her 
school,  -she  writes : 

"  To-day  I  am  resting.  On  Monday  will  begin  the 
real  fatigue  of  sorting  and  sending  offloads  of  books, 
furniture,  etc.,  to  my  friends  who  are  engaged  in 
teaching,  and  to  whom  they  will  be  useful.  Some 
are  to  go  to  Hampton.  A  fortnight  will  probably  be 
thus  engaged." 


202     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

"  Your  good  note  is  received ;  also  all  the  boxes, 
books,  maps,  and  minerals,  the  two  window-hung 
blackboards,  which  will  be  exceeding  useful,  just 
what  we  have  needed,  and  the  '  dear  old  flag,'  the 
emblem  of  the  loyalty  of  your  school  and  its  head,  in 
the  times  that  tried  men's  (and  women's)  souls.  We 
shall  cherish  it,  and  be  proud  to  display  it  for  its  as- 
sociations with  your  school  as  well  as  for  what  it 
symbolizes,  and  we  thank  you  heartily  for  all." 

"  I  read  your  letter  to  the  senior  class  on  Sabbath 
afternoon,"  writes  a  teacher.  "  One  of  them  moved 
that  thanks  be  returned  to  you  for  the  interest  you 
had  manifested  in  them.  A  unanimous  aye  was  the 
response.  I  told  them  that  the  appreciation  which 
would  be  most  acceptable  to  you  would  be  the  reali- 
zation in  themselves  of  your  wishes  and  prayers  for 
them." 

All  the  gentle  ministries  of  former  years  were  not 
only  continued,  but  increased  through  the  years  that 
remained. 

One  of  her  "  objects  of  especial  interest"  was  the 
formation  of  a  library  for  the  younger  girls,  to  be 
kept  in  Virginia  Hall,  of  books  that  would  "  combine 
amusement  with  instruction,  and  create  a  love  for 
reading,  preventing  idle  conversation."  Four  beau- 
tiful walnut  cases,  her  gift,  were  soon  stored,  by  her 
own  generosity  and  that  of  friends  enlisted  by  her  in- 
fluence, with  a  choice  collection  of  interesting  books 


HAMPTON. 


203 


on  natural  history,  biographical  sketches,  historical 
tales,  etc.,  which  gradually,  through  the  same  sources, 
increased  to  more  than  five  hundred  volumes.  A 
teacher  writes  : 

"  I  am  sure,  dear  friend,  that  you  and  those  who 
through  you  have  contributed  these  books  for  our 
girls,  would  enjoy  the  pleasure  you  are  giving  them, 
if  you  could  see  the  appreciation  they  show  of  your 
kindness,  not  only  by  their  delight  in  reading  the 
books,  but  by  the  care  they  take  of  them.  And  they 
enjoy  the  feeling  that  you  have  selected  the  library 
especially  with  reference  to  them." 

"  I  wish  you  could  have  seen,"  wrote  the  large- 
hearted  manager  of  the  Hampton  Girls'  Industrial 
Department,  "  the  pleasure  given  by  your  gifts  of 
mottoes.  By  some  it  was  expressed  in  words ;  the 
eyes  of  others  said  more  than  the  tongue.  I  gave 
one,  '  God  Bless  Our  Home,'  to  my  good,  faithful 
assistant,  Mrs.  Ivy.  The  tears  came  to  her  eyes  ;  she 
was  '  mightily  obliged/  for  where  she  lived  '  people 
don't  do  so  much  to  make  their  houses  look  pretty 
as  they  do  here,'  and  when  she  went  home  she  would 
do  all  she  could  '  to  make  it  a  heap  prettier  than  it  is 


Hearing  that  a  Christmas-tree  was  to  grow  up  in 
an  ever-hospitable  parlor  at  Hampton  Institute,  for 
the  benefit  of  some  outside  little  ones  and  others 
not  always  remembered  by  Santa  Claus,  Miss  Mary 


2O4 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


Anna's    motherly  heart   longed    for   a   share  in   its 
blessedness. 

"Yours  is  received,  and  I  have  just  opened  the 
parcel  that  came  by  express,  containing  the  beautiful 
dolls,  twelve  in  number,  hoods,  aprons,  handker- 
chiefs, picture-books,  and  texts.  The  latter  I  sent  at 
once  to  Winona  Lodge  for  the  hospital-room.  Little 
Edith's  doll  will  delight  her,  I  am  sure,  and  in  her 
name,  and  in  the  name  of  all  the  children,  I  thank 
you  for  your  ever-thoughtful  love.  Christmas-time 
brings  so  many  dettghts  from  you  to  them,  that  they 
may  well  imagine  you  are  near  of  kin  to  the  great 
Giver. 

"  The  General's  children  are  well  and  bright.  They 
were  here  on  Sunday,  and  Edith  was  recalling  the 
time  when  she  made  you  into  Queen  of  May  in  our 
sitting-room,  winding  wreaths  about  your  chair  and 
you.  Lulie  grows  more  and  more  like  her  gentle 
mother." 

Is  it  not  possible  here,  without  offending  the  deli- 
cacies of  private  relationships,  to  speak  of  the  tender 
love  for  that  "gentle  mother"  which,  as  many  who 
will  read  these  pages  know,  was  the  jewel-clasp  of 
Miss  Mary  Anna's  friendship  for  Hampton ;  a  love 
like  that  of  mother  and  child,  which  sought  constant 
expression  in  tenderest  words  and  deeds,  which 
smoothed  and  brightened  the  path  of  the  "gentle 
one"  to  the  dark  river,  from  the  home  and  school 


HAMPTON. 


205 


where  her  life  was  a  benediction ;  a  love  which  has 
reunited  them  on  the  other  side,  which  must  ever 
associate  them  in  our  sacred  memories  ? 

Even  this  record  must  own  its  large  indebtedness 
to  the  manuscript  memorial  volumes  which,  with  ex- 
quisite art,  her  loving  hands  prepared  of  that  beloved 
friend  for  her  children,  into  which  her  own  self  is  so 
inwoven  that  they  are  the  best  source  of  reminis- 
cences of  her  connection  with  Hampton. 

"  If  I  am  permitted  in  any  degree  to  hold  up  thy 
hands  or  to  strengthen  thy  hope  and  faith,  I  bless  my 
heavenly  Father  for  giving  me  so  sweet  a  mission." 

"  I  thank  our  Father  for  giving  me  such  a  friend. 
Every  day  I  love  and  feel  deeply  grateful  to  you." 

"The  grace  of  your  presence  was  a  luxury  to  us 
whenever  we  were  in  it.  You  have  been  more  to  us 
than  our  pens  or  tongues  can  ever  say.  Your  dear 
love  and  interest  lead  our  hearts  toward  heaven, 
where  we  know  your  treasure  lies." 

"  The  children  often  speak  of  Aunt  Mary  Anna." 

"  Seeing  you  is  like  a  little  look  into  a  heavenly 
region  apart  from  this  work-a-day  world ;  and  yet 
you  have  worked  so  hard  and  broken  so  many  fet- 
ters." 

"  I  can  hardly  believe  it  possible  that  you  should 
have  had  a  hard  lesson  to  learn,  after  helping  so  many 
to  lay  their  burdens  where  there  is  strength  all  ready 
to  bear  them.  It  seems  sometimes  easy  to  lift  our 
eyes  to  the  hills  and  expect  the  strength  and  the  help 

18 


206     MEMOIR   OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

to  come  at  once,  or  to  wait  patiently  for  it;  and 
again,  we  lift  our  eyes  and  the  hills  are  obscured  by 
mists :  there  appears  to  be  nothing  for  our  eyes  or 
our  hearts  to  rest  upon." 

"  These  clouds,  pain  and  sickness  cast  over  thy 
pathway.  Let  us  keep  our  eyes  ever  turned  toward 
the  everlasting  hills,  for  the  mists  are  only  of  the 
earth,  and  the  glorious  sun  is  shining  beyond." 

"  I  cannot  send  you  thanks  for  all  you  have  done, 
but  please  to  know  that  you  are  present  with  us  al- 
ways as  a  real  inspiration  to  better  living,  and  as  a 
reminder  of  the  blessedness  of  using  for  others  all 
that  has  been  given  to  us.  Your  love  and  care  have 
been  so  sweet  to  me,  and  they  have  been  expressed 
in  so  many  tender  little  ways,  that  I  have  been  kept 
full  of  gratitude  ever  since  I  saw  you.  You  have 
been  a  blessing  to  me  ever  since  I  knew  you." 

"  I  feel  like  a  mother  bereaved  of  her  child.  My 
heart  yearns  for  her." 

"  Your  devotion  to  her  is  even  now  a  great  com- 
fort. How  can  I  thank  you  enough  !  You  have 
seemed  to  stand  at  our  side  with  a  helping  hand  ever 
since  we  knew  you." 

"Absent  or  present  she  has  rarely  been  absent 
from  my  thoughts.  Even  now  I  find  myself  wishing 
to  send  her  a  message  of  love  or  token  of  remem- 
brance." 

"  Those  who  love  each  other  in  the  Lord  never  see 
each  other  for  the  last  time.  There  is  no  last  time 
for  them  ;  for  they  will  be  '  Forever  with  the  Lord.'  " 


HAMPTON.  207 

The  hands  that  missed  the  dearest  clasp  were  none 
the  less  active  in  ministries  of  good.  Her  heart  kept 
pace  with  Hampton's  growing  interests,  and  found 
room  for  Indians  and  all ;  though,  asking  for  a  list 
of  new  teachers,  to  write  their  names  upon  the  "  lit- 
tle parcels"  designed  for  those  whom  she  could 
hardly  expect  to  know  personally,  she  said  with  a 
little  smile  that  was  half  a  sigh,  "  Hampton  is  getting 
so  big  that  I  cannot  get  my  arms  around  it  any 
more." 

"  How  can  we  half  thank  you,"  wrote  their  teacher, 
"  for  the  lovely  books  for  our  Indian  girls,  with  their 
fascinating  pictures  and  stories,  and  so  much  useful 
information  withal  ?  Certainly  the  Winona  Lodge 
Library  has  been  most  kindly  cared  for.  Please  ex- 
press our  warm  thanks  also  to  your  friends  for  their 
share.  How  much  pleasure,  dear  Miss  Mary  Anna, 
through  long  years  to  come,  will  be  given  by  those 
beautiful  books,  which  will  speak  so  loudly  of  Hamp^ 
ton's  fairy  godmother !  I  wish  you  could  have  seen 
the  interest  and  delight  with  which  some  of  the 
scholars  looked  at  the  book  of  Old  Testament  pic- 
tures which  you4  sent,  and  which  are  very  helpful  in 
our  Sunday-school  lessons.  Miss  M.,  who  takes 
charge  of  the  little  girls'  corridor,  finds  the  story- 
books very  nice  for  Sunday  evening  reading  to  the 
little  ones.  May  many  blessings  be  showered  upon 
you  for  all  your  kind  and  loving  ministries  to  Wi- 
nona!" 


208     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

Even  as  increasing  feebleness  made  the  dear  hands 
falter  and  the  loving  eyes  grow  dim,  those  ministries 
did  not  cease.  The  letters  came,  though,  more  often, 
written  from  dictation  by  loving  friends. 

"  I  have  begun  a  letter  to  the  Hampton  graduates 
for  the  Southern  Workman,  but,  being  debarred  from 
using  my  eyes  at  night,  it  is  not  yet  finished." 

"  I  send  by  express  to  thy  care  a  bundle  of  papers 
and  tracts,  tied  up  in  small  parcels  (twenty-five  in 
number),  to  be  given  to  the  teachers  attending  the 
institute  who  live  in  places  where  there  are  few  books 
and  little  reading  matter." 

"  I  intend  to  have  a  set  of  cap-quarto  blank  books 
made  for  the  use  of  the  teachers  at  Hampton,  in- 
dexed, to  aid  them  in  their  work,  as  follows :  One  to 
be  marked  History,  to  contain  a  catalogue  of  all  the 
works  on  history  in  the  Hampton  Library,  historical 
charts,  maps,  etc.  Its  companion  volume  to  be 
marked  History,  Index  Rerum,  or  shall  I  say  Topics ; 
in  which  the  teachers  of  history  will  write  gradu- 
ally a  list  of  references  on  historical  subjects  that 
they  may  wish  to  find  readily.  Another  volume  will 
be  marked  Biography,  another  Physics,  another  Ge- 
ography and  Travels.  Will  it  be  desirable  to  have 
others  ?" 

"  I  expect  to-morrow  to  send  off"  my  last  box  to 
Hampton  for  this  year  (1883).  I  do  not  mean  this 
school  year.  Through  the  kindness  of  my  niece, 
Sara  Longstreth,  and  one  of  my  cousins,  I  have  had 


209 

the  pleasure  of  sending  off  my  little  parcels.  It  would 
be  an  exceedingly  great  trial  to  me  to  be  obliged  to 
omit  these,  although  I  have  given  up  correspondence 
with  my  other  friends." 

All  at  the  school  shared  the  hope  that,  when  free 
from  routine  work,  Hampton  might  have  the  privilege 
of  long  visits  from  this  dear  friend  whose  presence 
was  a  blessing.  Taking  advantage  of  this  hope  to 
do  yet  another  sweet  and  generous  deed,  she  fitted 
up  a  room  at  the  school,  to  be  used  as  a  guest-cham- 
ber at  times,  but  which  was  always  known  as  Miss 
Longstreth's  room,  to  be  occupied  by  her,  it  was 
hoped,  for  weeks  at  a  time.  Many  have  enjoyed  the 
comforts  of  the  pretty  room,  with  its  fresh  and  dainty 
furnishing,  and  its  pleasant  view  of  the  gliding  river, 
but  its  dear  owner  was  not  to  see  it. 

At  last,  one  had  to  write  regretfully : 

"Our  commencement  exercises  [of  1883]  went  off 
about  as  usual,  but,  dear  friend,  we  missed  you  all 
through  them.  It  hardly  seems  to  me  now  as  though 
the  class  could  have  graduated  without  your  loving 
benediction  personally  bestowed  upon  them.  Your 
two  boxes  have  both  come.  Many  thanks  for  them." 

The  year  went  on,  bringing  repeated  tokens  of  re- 
membrance to  Hampton, — the  scholarships,  school- 
books,  collections  of  shells  for  the  museum,  books 

1 8* 


2io     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

for  the  special  libraries  of  Virginia  Hall,  Winona 
Lodge,  and  the  Indian  boys'  "  Wigwam."  But  the 
hope  of  welcoming  the  dear  giver  to  Hampton  ever 
diminished. 

"  Alas !"  she  wrote,  "  I  see  no  probability  of  my 
going  there  for  a  very  long  time,  if  ever." 

Another  anniversary  approached,  and  one  ex- 
pressed the  general  feeling  in  writing: 

"  I  need  not  say  how  much  I  shall  regret  your  ab- 
sence on  that  day.  I  shall  think  of  you  often,  and 
with  deepest  love  and  sympathy." 

The  day  passed,  and  one  more  gentle  act  fitly 
crowned  the  last  year  of  loving  care  for  Hampton. 

"And  now  I  have  a  favor  to  ask  of  you,  beloved 
sisters.  I  wish  to  give  a  photograph  of  your  beloved 
General  Marshall  to  a  few  of  the  teachers  who  have 
been  at  Hampton  the  longest.  I  have  ordered  a 
dozen  copies  made,  and  will  order  more  if  desirable. 
Please  find  out  whether  those  I  now  send  shall  be 
given  to  the  following,  or  if  they  have  them  already, 
and  whether  more  are  needed.  With  a  heart  full  of 
love  I  remain,  ever  yours,  M.  A.  LONGSTRETH." 

The  two  dozen  copies  thus  distributed  will  have  a 
double  value  to  those  who  received  them.  But  her 


HAMPTON.  211 

crowning  and  farewell  gift  to  the  school  was  a  fine 
life-sized  crayon  portrait  from  the  same  photograph, 
to  be  hung  in  the  Library  Hall,  where  it  will  ever  be 
associated  with  the  loved  giver  as  well  as  the  honored 
original. 

The  Hampton  workers  scattered  to  their  vacation 
rest,  the  summer  days  passed,  and,  to  one  Northern 
home  after  another,  came  the  hardly  unexpected  news 
that  with  them  the  sweet  spirit  of  Mary  Anna  Long- 
streth  had  passed  to  the  eternal  home  and  the  glory 
that  excelleth.  Their  thoughts  all  flew  to  Hampton, 
where  they  had  known  and  loved  her  so  well. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  the  news 
reached  Hampton,  the  students,  as  they  assembled 
for  prayers  in  the  Virginia  Hall  chapel,  where  she 
had  so  often  sat  with  them,  were  informed  by  the 
chaplain  of  Hampton's  loss.  Early  the  next  day,  the 
lovely  portrait  which  had  hung  for  several  years  in 
the  teachers'  parlor,  was  draped  by  loving  hands  in 
soft  folds  of  white  and  gray,  with  clinging  ivy  sprays, 
and  as  one  by  one  her  friends  came  to  look  at  it,  it 
was  not  hard  to  believe  that  she  knew,  better  than 
mortal  tongue  could  have  told  her,  how  truly  she  was 
mourned.  The  same  evening,  resolutions  of  regret 
and  sympathy  were  adopted,  signed  by  representa- 
tives of  the  school  present  in  its  vacation  organiza- 
tion, officers,  teachers,  graduates,  and  colored  and 


212     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

Indian  students,  and  sent,  with  warm  expressions  of 
sympathy,  to  her  family  in  Philadelphia. 

When  the  school  had  gathered  again  to  its  winter's 
work,  on  Sunday  evening,  October  I2th,  a  memorial 
service  was  held,  that  all  might  take  part  in  the 
tribute  to  this  beloved  friend ;  to  acquaint  the  new- 
comers with  the  debt  of  gratitude  the  school  will 
always  owe  her,  and  to  give  appropriate  reception  to 
the  generous  gift  which  occupied  her  last  thoughts 
of  Hampton. 

Two  easels  on  the  platform  held,  the  one  this 
portrait,  and  the  other  the  beautiful  crayon  of  Miss 
Longstreth  herself  from  the  teachers'  parlor.  The 
two  genial  faces  smiled  benevolently  upon  the  assem- 
bly. Rev.  Mr.  Tolman,  the  school's  first  chaplain, 
dwelt  upon  the  beauty  and  significance  of  this  life  of 
unselfishness  and  Christian  love.  Its  present  pastor, 
Mr.  Frissell,  spoke  of  the  deep  interest  Miss  Long- 
streth always  took  in  the  religious  work  of  the 
school ;  the  help  it  had  been  to  his  own  efforts ;  the 
letters  that  came  from  her  hand  every  year  to  the 
graduating  class;  the  deep  solicitude  she  expressed 
that  every  graduate  should  go  out  as  a  soldier  of 
Christ,  a  teacher  of  righteousness. 

The  Principal  gave  the  history  of  Miss  Long- 
streth's  connection  with  the  Hampton  school  from 
its  early  days ;  the  many  generous,  gracious,  delicate 


HAMPTON. 


213 


deeds  which  with  spontaneous,  untiring  kindness,  she 
had  scattered  along  its  way ;  the  cheer  and  inspira- 
tion she  had  given  to  its  work ;  her  interest  growing 
with  its  growth,  following  its  graduates  to  their  little 
school-houses  with  helpful  gifts  and  even  with  inval- 
.uable  letters  of  counsel  from  her  busy  hand ;  her 
broad  nature,  finding  room  for  many  other  benevolent 
works;  the  tributes  brought  by  hundreds  who  rise 
up  to  call  her  blessed.  Not  hers  the  bare  "  gifts 
without  the  giver."  The  deepest  gratitude  owed  her 
by  the  many  she  helped  and  blessed  is  for  the  loving 
heart  that  went  with  all  she  gave,  large  or  small. 
One  of  those  rich  souls  of  whom  the  Christ  will  say: 

"  Who  gives  herself  with  his  gifts  feeds  three, 
Himself,  his  hungry  neighbor,  and  Me." 

Hampton's  absent  treasurer  wrote  from  his  new 
home: 

"  Dear,  blessed  Miss  Longstreth !  what  an  angel 
of  mercy  she  has  been  to  the  school,  and  to  those 
connected  with  it !  How  constant,  untiring,  and 
generous  have  been  her  care  for  it,  and  her  contribu- 
tions to  it !  And  how  thoughtful  and  loving  was  her 
regard  for  every  worker  at  Hampton !  There  is 
hardly  a  room  in  my  house  here  that  has  not  some 
gift  of  hers,  as  token  of  her  loving  sympathy  in  our 
Hampton  work.  That  we  were  honored  with  the 
esteem  and  love  of  so  saintly  a  woman  will  ever  be 
among  the  most  cherished  and  tender  memories  of 


214 


MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 


our  Hampton  life.  That  her  last  gift  to  the  school 
should  have  been  my  portrait  affects  me  deeply.  I 
only  wish  that  I  were  more  worthy  of  such  honor 
from  such  a  woman. 

"  Hampton  will  cherish  her  memory.  Her  life  of 
devotion  to  good  works  will  be  to  teachers  and  stu- 
dents an  inspiration.  Her  place  cannot  be  filled  on 
earth,  but  great  will  be  her  reward  in  heaven." 

So  long  as  one  who  knew  her  is  left  at  Hamp- 
ton, no  anniversary  day  can  pass  without  sweet 
thoughts  of  her  whose  loving  eyes  so  often  kindled 
with  its  enthusiasm.  At  the  last  one,  the  first  to 
pass  since  she  left  us,  the  salutatorian's  essay  closed 
with  a  tribute  to  this  ever-remembered,  ever-beloved 
friend  of  Hampton,  whose  gentle  pictured  face  smiled 
down  upon  the  scene  from  under  its  living  crown  of 
lilies  :  "  whose  life  has  passed  from  earth,  whose  work, 
please  God,  shall  never  die." 

The  Hampton  graduates  would  not  be  left  out  in 
these  memorial  offerings. 

"  Hampton  has  lost  one  of  its  strongest  and  warm- 
est friends,"  writes  one.  "  She  will  never  be  forgot- 
ten by  those  who  knew  her." 

"  We  have  lost  a  trusted  and  tried  friend  in  Miss 
Longstreth.  I  remember,  almost  as  though  it  were 
but  yesterday,  how  she  talked  to  us  '  Hampton  Sing- 
ers' in  Philadelphia,  in  1873  ;  how  her  earnest  face 
beamed  with  an  unselfish  desire  for  our  welfare,  and 


HAMPTON. 


215 


after  presenting  us  each  with  a  copy  of  Longfellow's 
poems,  how  she  prayed  with  us.  I  have  often  thought 
that  the  Lord  answered  her  prayer  and  suffered  us  to 
be  ten  minutes  late,  which  saved  us  from  the  Stoning- 
ton  railroad  wreck  in  that  year." 

"  I  am  indeed  pained  to  hear  of  dear  Miss  Long- 
streth's  death.  I  feel  her  loss  keenly.  It  was  she, 
you  know,  who  paid  for  my  schooling  while  I  was  at 
Hampton,  and  oh,  such  cheering  letters  I  received 
from  her  since  I  have  been  teaching; — even  up  to 
June.  Yes,  and  even  my  school  will  miss  her.  I 
have  her  photograph,  and  now  it  is  as  dear  to  me  as 
anything  on  earth." 

"  I  rejoice  to  know  that  I  have  a  token  by  which 
I  shall  always  remember  dear  Miss  Longstreth.  It 
is  a  hymn-book  I  received  last  year  from  her." 

"  No  one  can  feel  Miss  Longstreth's  death  more 
than  I  do.  I  have  been  blessed  so  much  in  my  work 
by  her  timely  and  useful  gifts.  Not  only  her  gifts, 
but  I  have  also  had  her  good  Christian  advice,  which 
she  used  to  write  to  me  till  she  got  too  weak  to  write 
much.  Her  letters  followed  me  to  Africa,  and  I  trust 
her  good  advice  will  follow  me  to  my  grave." 

Even  since  her  departure,  Hampton  has  heard  of 
generous  remembrance  from  this  constant  friend. 
Generous  as  it  is,  as  Hampton's  treasurer  once  wrote 
her,  "  That  which  can  appear  on  the  books  is  but  a 
small  part  of  what  the  school  owes"  her.  In  almost 
every  building  erected  since  she  knew  the  place,  she 


2i6     MEMOIR  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH. 

has  a  part.  Virginia  Hall,  especially,  "  seems  full  of 
suggestions  of  her  kindness."  Look  into  its  dining- 
room,  whose  tables  used  to  blossom  white  with  the 
tokens  of  her  thoughtfulness  of  little  needs ;  into 
the  teachers'  pleasant  parlor,  furnished  by  her  hands 
alone,  and  presided  over  by  her  gentle  pictured  face ; 
into  the  girls'  sitting-room,  with  its  pretty  well-stored 
book-cases;  into  the  doctor's  office,  with  its  hand- 
some desk  and  book-case,  and  "  convalescents' "  li- 
brary, and  into  the  Southern  Workman  office,  with  its 
convenient  editorial  desk;  into  teachers'  rooms,  where 
from  every  wall  and  corner,  beam  reflections  of  her 
kindness;  and  into  that  chamber  of  peace,  which, 
though  she  never  entered  it  in  bodily  form,  seems 
always  occupied  by  her  sweet. presence. 

With  the  loved  one  whose  sweet  friendship  drew 
her  heart  most  closely  tq  us,  Hampton's  thought  of 
our  beloved  Miss  Longstreth  will  ever  be: 

"She  is  present  with  us  always  as  an  inspiration 
to  better  living,  and  as  a  reminder  of  the  blessedness 
of  using  for  others  all  that  has  been  given  to  us. 
Surely  her  name  and  face  will  be  a  heavenly  influ- 
ence, helping  all  who  pass  within  these  walls,  like 
that  of  a  guardian  angel." 


APPKNDIX. 


217 


E>IX. 


THE  following  are  added  at  the  request  of  Miss 
Susan  Longstreth : 

Departed  this  life  on  the  I5th  of  Eighth  mo.,  1884, 
MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH,  in  the  seventy-fourth  year 
of  her  age ;  a  member  of  the  Western  District 
Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends  of  Philadelphia. 

Having  been  trained  from  infancy  in  habits  of 
implicit  obedience,  it  was  comparatively  easy  for  her 
to  submit  her  will  to  the  righteous  law  of  God.  A 
teacher  for  fifty  years,  it  was  her  privilege,  while 
aiding  her  thousand  pupils  to  climb  the  hill  of 
knowledge,  to  train  them  in  Wisdom's  ways,  which 
they  found  to  be  ways  of  pleasantness,  and  all  her 
paths  peace.  And  now  that  our  loving  Saviour  has 
fulfilled  to  her  His  gracious  promise,  "  If  I  go  and 
prepare  a  place  for  you,  I  will  come  again  and  receive 
you  unto  Myself,"  many  rise  up  and  call  her  blessed, 
rejoicing  in  the  full  assurance  that  she  is  one  of  the 

great  multitude  around  the  throne  who  unite  in  say- 

219 


220  APPENDIX. 

ing,  with  a  loud  voice,  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that 
was  slain  to  receive  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom, 
and  strength,  and  glory,  and  blessing." — Friends' 
Review. 


IN  MEMORY  OF  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH,  WHO  DE- 
PARTED  THIS   LIFE   EIGHTH   MO.  isth,  1884. 

There  was  a  very  beautiful,  quiet,  useful  life  laid  to 
its  rest  in  the  beginning  of  this  week  that  should  not 
pass  altogether  unnoticed.  It  was  the  life  of  a  good 
woman,  spent  in  doing  good  in  such  good  ways  as 
made  it  a  perpetual  benediction.  Without  any  parade 
of  her  name  or  her  presence ;  with  a  bright,  vivid 
cheerfulness  which  none  of  the  world's  darkness  or 
discouragement  ever  dimmed;  with  an  unfailing  sym- 
pathy for  all  who  suffered  wrong;  with  courageous 
faith  that  never  lost  either  its  patience  or  its  zeal ; 
with  a  broad-minded  philanthropy  that  shut  out  no 
good  cause  from  the  circle  of  its  interest;  with  a 
delightful  zest  in  doing  good  that  advancing  age  and 
infirmity  could  not  abate;  with  a  single-minded  pur- 
pose to  be  always  about  her  Father's  business ;  with 
a  delicately-trained  instinct  that  kept  her  ever  ready 
to  recognize  what  was  wrong,  and  a  sweet  gentleness 
that  gave  her  reproof  of  the  wrong  a  grateful  wel- 
come; with  clear,  sound  judgment  and  a  beautifully 


APPENDIX.  221 

cultivated  mind, — with  these  and  with  all  the  grace 
and  beauty  and  dignity  of  a  lovely  womanhood  per- 
vading her  presence,  MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH  has 
served  her  day  and  generation,  and  has  gone  peace- 
fully to  her  reward. — F.  W.,  in  Philadelphia  Evening 
Bulletin. 


IN   MEMORIAM. 

MARY  ANNA  LONGSTRETH,  Vice-President  of  the 
Philadelphia  Branch  of  "The  Woman's  Union  Mis- 
sionary Society,"  representing  the  Society  of  Friends, 
died  August  I5th. 

"  Blessed  are  the  dead*  which  die  in  the  Lord:  that 
they  may  rest  from  their  labors  and  their  works  do 
follow  them." 

Of  few  can  these  words  so  truly  be  spoken  as  of 
the  dear  departed  one  to  whose  sainted  memory  we 
would  offer  our  heart-felt  tribute  of  affection  and 
respect.  A  long  life  of  uninterrupted  activities  has 
peacefully  closed,  but  the  fragrance  of  its  exquisite 
development  will  long  endure  to  revive  and  refresh 
the  toiling  and  weary  ones  who  yet  remain. 

The  beauty  of  womanhood,  in  form,  in  character, 
in  influence,  and  in  power,  is  rarely  more  perfectly 
exemplified  than  in  the  person  and  character  of  her 
who  was  so  many  years  prominent  in  the  great  work 


222  APPENDIX. 

of  education,  and  who  was  long  associated  with  us 
in  the  special  work  of  our  society.  By  her  extended 
personal  influence  she  was  for  many  years  our  great 
stay  and  support;  and  in  far-distant  heathen  lands  her 
name  is  loved  and  honored  by  many  just  waking 
from  the  death-like  sleep  of  ignorance  and  sin. 

In  our  own  city  (Philadelphia)  the  name  of  Mary 
Anna  Longstreth  is  sacred  in  many  homes,  whose 
mothers  and  daughters  have  owed  to  her  much  that 
was  best  in  their  mental  and  spiritual  development. 

To  her  efforts  for  the  intellectual  culture  of  those 
committed  to  her  care,  she  added  a  maternal  solici- 
tude for  the  growth  of  those  graces  which  are  the 
essentials  of  the  perfect  woman,  and  none  could  come 
under  her  personal  influence  without  being  impressed 
with  the  beauty  of  holiness  which  beamed  from  every 
feature, — to  look  upon  her  was  a  benediction,  to  talk 
with  her  was  an  inspiration. 

No  benevolent  philanthropic  or  missionary  work 
escaped  her  attention  and  sympathy ;  her  large- 
hearted  charity  was  ever  on  the  alert,  and  even  in  the 
retirement  of  her  declining  years  her  activities  never 
ceased. 

Loving  in  manner,  tender  in  sympathy,  wise  in 
counsel,  ready  in  liberality,  and  wide  in  personal 
influence,  her  death  is  a  loss  almost  irreparable. 

But  while  we  realize  our  loss,  we  would  thank  God 


APPENDIX. 


223 


for  the  blessing  of  having  known  and  labored  with 
one  so  gifted  and  yet  so  consecrated ;  so  complete, 
yet  so  simple;  so  honored,  yet  so  unaffected;  so  ag- 
gressive, yet  so  retiring ;  so  decided,  yet  so  gentle : 
in  a  word,  whose  well-rounded  character  was  a  circle 
of  beauty,  and  of  whom,  even  after  a  long  and  active 
life  amidst  the  turmoil  and  confusion  of  a  large  city, 
we  may  well  say,  "  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for 

they  shall  see  God." 

C.  H.  M. 


EXTRACT  FROM  A  LETTER  WRITTEN  SOME  YEARS 
PREVIOUS  TO  HER  DEATH,  BY  ELIZA-  P.  GURNEY, 
WIFE  OF  JOSEPH  JOHN  GURNEY,  WHO  WAS  HIMSELF 
A  HIGHLY- VALUED  FRIEND  OF  M.  A.  LONGSTRETH. 

MY  DEAREST  MARIANNA, — The  cheering  little  visi- 
tants that  occasionally  wing  their  way  from  thee  to  my 
retired  home,  bringing  fresh  evidence  of  unforgetful 
love,  are  always  warmly  welcomed ;  and  generous  as 
thou  art  in  balancing  the  debit  and  credit  account 
between  us,  allowing  me  when  I  owe  thee  fifty 
pounds  to  put  down  ten,  I  feel  as  if  thy  last  bright 
paper  messenger  deserved  an  early  answer,  if  only 
just  to  say  it  brought  thee  very  vividly  before  me 
with  new  and  tender  feelings  of  old  faithful  friendship 
and  unchanged  regard.  I  consider  thee,  my  dear 


224 


APPENDIX. 


Marianna,  as  one  of  the  first  of  my  old-tried  Phila- 
delphia friends.  .  .  . 

Thou  speaks  of  feeling  it  cause  for  thankfulness 
when  a  blessing  is  permitted  to  rest  upon  thy  labors 
for  the  welfare  of  the  precious  charge  committed  to 
thy  care,  which  led  me  to  think  that  perhaps  few 
persons  had  so  low  an  estimate  of  their  services  in 
proportion  to  the  amount  of  benefit  which  had  really 
accrued  from  them  to  the  rising  generation  as  thy 
own  dear  self.  I  believe  I  may  express  the  convic- 
tion of  my  heart,  by  way  of  encouragement,  that  the 
Lord,  whom  thou  lovest  and  hast  long  desired  to 
serve,  has  qualified  and  is  using  thee  as  an  instru- 
ment of  great  good  to  the  lambs  of  the  fold,  many 
of  whom,  with  their  children  and  children's  children, 
will  have  abundant  cause  in  days  to  come  to  rise  up 
and  call  thee  blessed  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 


THE     END. 


THE  LIBRARY 
MVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


A    001454148    6 


;;    .  , 

* 


